Gray: Scorpius Malfoy and the Scepter of Night
by Sir Manayaz
Summary: (IV): Scorpius is back for his Four Year and finds himself along with his friends fighting on different fronts with the Ministry's new approach, the resurgance of werewolf prejudice and even estrangement from his family. All the while still fighting to stop the Shadow Master from gathering the pieces of the Scepter, before its too late.
1. IV: Ends

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, belongs to JK Rowling, just borrowing the characters_

_**Author's Note:** So here is Book IV! __If you haven't read Books I, II and III then I highly recommend you do because otherwise this probably won't make a lot of sense. Sorry if it seems a weird start, this chapter is compromised of things I was on the fence about having at the end of the last book or start of this one and decided to put at the start of this one because I reallt wanted WA to end on Bob's arrest which happens chronologicalically before this and I try do things as choronologically as possible. So... here's Book 4! _

* * *

Atticus Ashain blinked open his bleary chestnut brown eyes, scowling at the darkness around him. He couldn't recall what he'd been dreaming about or what had woken him but he knew it was something for the both of them. He was lying in his bedroom in his house. His wife Skye was still sleeping soundly, snuggled up beside him with her head on his arm. There was no one else in the room, nothing was out of place either so what had woken him? Nothing seemed odd, except for it being kind of hot but it was summer so heat was expected.

It remained oddly dark though, blurry almost which was strange because usually his vision would have been adapted to the darkness already. He sat up cautiously which displaced his wife, his vision still wasn't improving. Something was making it strange to breathe, the air seemed oddly thick. Something was wrong.

"Atty?" Skye questioned in a yawn and a scowl although her eyes remained closed, "It's not morning yet."

"Something's wrong," Atticus told her seriously before he heard something distant and muffled, almost like something shattering, "Did you hear that?"

"No. Did you have a bad dream?"

"No. I definitely just heard something," Atticus insisted as he reached for his wand.

"No, no, don't grab your stupid wand," Skye groaned, "You're not in magic land anymore! It was probably just the dog, or your imagination. C'mon, Atty, please. I'm tired and I have work tomorrow."

"I-" Atticus began but was silenced by a rather large explosion and the glare of flames visible around the door, Skye was bolt upright and wide awake in an instant while he jumped out of bed himself, "Believe me now?!"

"Okay yes," Skye admitted fearfully as she also scrambled to get out of bed, following him to the door. He gestured to the door with his wand to move it aside, the thing shot off its hinges with more power than he'd intended to reveal the hallway outside was in flames, "The kids!"

"Wait!" Atticus protested and grabbed her before she could race into the flames, silently casting the Flame-Freezing Charm, she scowled at him, "It's to protect us from the flames so we won't burn now."

"Dad! Mum! The house is on fire!" Tony burst out as he came rushing into the room.

He was in an odd bubble of grayish white light that popped when he and the dog were safely out of the flames, looking terrified but unharmed. Accidental magic at its finest, the dog was at his heels but no Cassia. The dog seemed to be barking but no sound was coming out. He refused to panic, that had gotten Orous stabbed, Scorpius and Calderon almost blown up and revived the Shadow Master somehow. Years of being an Auror and training kicked in, he needed to stay level and think. He cast the same spell to protect Tony and the dog as Skye embraced their son.

"Stay here, it's relatively safe. I'll get Cassia," Atticus commanded them and rushed out into the flames.

The fire was just a warm breeze under the spell, uncomfortable admittedly but not painful or dangerous. The smoke was the main issue but there wasn't much of that, magical fire always produced less or if not the caster would be at risk themselves unless they used the Bubble-Head Charm. Atticus was near certain it was a magical fire, not Fiendfyre - thankfully - but definitely caused by a spell as evidenced by its lack of reaction when he tried to put it out as he hurried through the warm breeze to Cassia's room. The odd behavior of the fire and the dog had been silenced magically to make no sound like that, meaning someone magical had done it thus a magical attacker.

"Daddy!" Cassia exclaimed with relief when he burst into her room, rushing to hug him. It wasn't on fire in the room but it had evidently woken her as she'd been standing in front of the door, trapped, "There was fire and it woked me up and I knew you'd come, Daddy. I knew you'd save me, Daddy."

"Cassia!" Skye added as she, Tony and the dog followed him in. Atticus scowled as Cassia went to hug them instead.

"Didn't I tell you to wait in the other room?" Atticus complained as he silently cast the same spell to protect Cassia from the fire, "It's safer for civilians to-"

"Did you actually just call us 'civilians'?! And expect us to wait in a burning room while you and Cassia are out there?!"

"Err... No. Just hold her and everyone stay close by me, the fire won't burn you thanks to my spell - unless I die obviously - but we just still need to get out here. Do whatever I say, the attackers could still be here."

"Attackers?" Tony wondered fearfully.

"Just hold your mother's hand and we'll be okay, just stay calm and follow me," Atticus commanded, his voice sounding surprisingly steady and calm now he knew his family was safe for the moment. He just needed to keep them that way. He could do that, his mind was in full Auror mode, "And please be quiet."

He waited a moment for Skye to pick up Cassia who protested but he thought her safer in her mother's arms than free to wander, he didn't forget how she'd ran _after_ him and the werewolves the previous year. He didn't want her hanging after him if he needed to duel, she'd just be at risk. He trusted Tony slightly more to obey as he was older and more sensible, he clutched his mother's hand fearfully. The dog was still by his side, Atticus considered unsilencing it but quiet was more productive than barking at that moment.

Atticus headed off cautiously through the hot breeze of flame, pricking his ears up for any sign of instability to the roof in case the fire made it cave and he needed to protect them. He kept his eyes darting around for the person - or persons - who'd caused the fire, he didn't want to waste time checking the rooms so simply magically sealed the rooms they passed in the corridor on the upstairs. So good so far, it was only when they got to the stairs that he heard distinct movement coming from both rooms off to the left and right but the path ahead to the door seemed clear. He paused when he got to the bottom of the stairs, changing his wand position every other second to check both sides for either attacker but the path to the door was clear. They probably hadn't heard them over the crackling, the roar of the flames but he'd been trained to focus past that.

"Alright," Atticus whispered to his family, "When I say 'go', you make a dash for the door. I'll cover you and I'll be right behind you, do you understand?"

"Atty, why-"

"Skye, just trust me. More talk, more chance of being heard," Atticus interrupted and she met his eyes before slowly nodding, he gestured to them to come to his level and waited for them to get down that last step, "GO!"

As he spoke, he flicked his wand and slammed shut the door to the two rooms leading off. He gestured again to blow off the front door to give them a clear run to outside, he kept it hovering on its side in corridor though. Predictably, he heard the fire starters rush out and forcefully, twisted the front door and threw it at them magically. They were caught completely by surprise as the door simultaneously knocked them down and landed on top of them, Atticus leaped onto it then over it and bolted for the exit.

He gulped down the refreshingly cool and unpolluted air as he ran outside, glancing around quickly he saw Skye, the kids and dog standing safely beside the car and gazing at their burning home. No sign of any attackers though so he turned to keep facing the house in readiness as the two would probably come out after him. Sure enough, an instant later the pair rushed out. Getting a better look at them, he saw they weren't dressed in uniform robes with the skeletal snake symbol and were rather sloppily dressed in different styles of dark robes. They just ran out aimlessly too, he supposed it was possible that they were still Shadows who were just extremely uncoordinated and not in any kind of identifiable garb but his instincts told him they weren't.

"Die, Shadow!" one of them cried as if to confirm his suspicions, launching a nasty spell at him that Atticus had no trouble deflecting with a Shield Charm that caused it to strike back at the second attacker and threw him through the window back into the burning building.

"I'm not a Shadow!" Atticus protested as he threw his own Disarming spell at the first attacker, the man made a move to defend himself but the silent and large dog had rushed forward to bite the man's wand arm. The man screamed in pain as the powerful jaws crunched into his arm and dropped his wand as he tried to shake the dog off, Atticus fired a stunner at the man that knocked him out cold. The man was slammed to the ground forceful enough to probably hurt if he was awake, the dog bounded back over proudly. Atticus petted its head with his free hand, unsilencing it with his wand one, "Good dog."

"She has a name, Dad," Tony pointed out from behind him.

Atticus kept his eyes on the burning house though, a moment later the second attacker staggered back out awkwardly as he was now bleeding from multiple cuts from being thrown through a window. Atticus heard a caw from Cassia as he raised his wand to stun the second attacker but a swarm of birds descended before he could cast it, pecking furiously at the man who fled screaming back inside the house. The birds flew out to avoid burning but the man didn't re-emerge.

"Did I do good, Daddy?" Cassia asked eagerly.

"Atty," Skye said and he spared her a glance, keeping one eye and his wand still on his home in readiness for the second attacker. She was still in her sleepwear - as they all were - which in her case was a blue nightgown that matched her eyes, her straw-colored hair was as messy as Cassia's but she'd had the sense of mind to grab her purse, which meant car keys. He opened his mouth to tell her to get the kids into the car safely out of the way but closed it as she continued, "I can't do this, Atty, I thought I could but I can't."

"What are you talking about?" Atticus wondered hesitantly, getting the sense it was something important but it was a terrible time to talk. The kids were right there. And they were standing outside their burning house. And there was still an attacker that he was waiting to reappear. Skye didn't seem to care about that though, she looked distraught to the point of tears.

"This magic thing, I thought I could but I can't. Magic people attacked our home and I... I can't."

"It's okay, we can fix it and-"

"It's not the point!" Skye interrupted desperately, "I just can't do this, I don't want to be targeted by magic attacks, I don't want anything to do with magic at all. I just... I just can't. I love you, Atty, but I can't live like this, love isn't enough."

"Wh-What ab-about the kids?" Atticus stammered out in panic, was this actually happening?

"They're just like you, I can't deal with that. Take her," Skye said with tears spilling from her eyes as she let go of Tony's hand and bundled the six-year old into his free arm, Cassia looked as shocked as he felt, "Just take her."

"We-We can work something out, jus-just need time and... and now is bad time to make rash-rash decisions that-"

"I'd had three years, how much time do you think I really need? I've thought about it, I tried and I can't. I'm sorry, Atty, I have to go."

"I love you, Skye," Atticus told her tearfully and pathetically, he felt like his heart was tearing up.

"I know," Skye admitted and for a brief second, he thought she'd changed her mind as she pressed her lips against his gently, "Goodbye."

"Please don't go," Atticus begged as she stepped back, "Skye, please."

He was distracted by another explosion from the house as the second attacker tried to use it as a distraction to rush back out to get his friend. Atticus, very mindful of holding Cassia, positioned himself at an angle that had her away from the action as much as he could as he lashed out with a stunner immediately. The man tried to dodge but his injuries impeded him, the spell caught him forcefully and he was unconscious as he was thrown back against the wall like a ragdoll. He heard the roar of a car engine starting up. Atticus turned back to Skye to see she'd gotten into the car while he'd been distracted by the attacker, she'd already started the ignition.

"Skye!" he called after her desperately, she spared him a pitiful glance but didn't hesitate to start to reverse the car out of the driveway, "Skye! SKYE!"

"Mum, don't go!" Tony pleaded, he was crying freely but Skye backed out and started to drive away regardless, Tony ran after the car with the dog on his heels, "Mum! MUM! MUMMY! Mummy, come back! COME BACK! MUM, COME BACK!"

Skye sped off into the night, leaving Tony sobbing and still calling after in the road, long after she was completely gone from their sight. Cassia just buried her head in his neck, Atticus went over to get his son out of the road, taking Tony's hand gently and moving him back to the sidewalk. Tony clung to him and cried in the light of their still burning home before them, just a blur of reddish golds and orange lights through his watery eyes. Atticus didn't think... no, he _knew_ she wouldn't be coming back this time. He was alone.

"It'll be okay," Atticus lied to try comfort them, "We'll be okay."

* * *

Celestine didn't much care for funerals, most of the ones he'd been to had been for Aurors he'd worked with but he'd also gone to Kingsley Shacklebolt's, Minerva McGonagall's, the Dursleys, Charlie and Audrey Weasley's. He thought it was ironic really, the majority of the funerals he'd been to had been people he'd either killed himself or had been killed by his group. The current one also fell into this category, Nicholas Neville Longbottom had been killed by a Soul Eater after all. Celestine didn't actually get any pleasure from it and thought it rather sad really, the death of a child was never something to celebrate. Unless it was his own child, his eyes darted to his pregnant wife - Gabrielle Delacour - amongst the crowd. He didn't care that it helped him seem more normal, he wanted her and the unborn thing to die. He'd never fantasized about killing anyone more than he did her at that moment.

He sighed and looked around the Leaky Cauldron where they were having the after Wake, he'd already offered his condolences to the Longbottom's. Traditionally it was the guy holding it together for the girl but Hannah was the one being strong, Neville was a wreck. All three of the remaining Longbottom children were there and they all seemed to be doing worse than their mother but better than their father. All the Weasleys were there, including George's estranged wife Angelina although she was ignoring him and George was staring after her sadly. Percy and Freddie had both brought their girlfriends, Teddy Lupin and his grandmother were there too. The Potters were there too, Ginny was talking to the Longbottoms and the younger kids were with other kids, James was just standing around and watching him oddly. It was supposed to be quite a small affair but the sheer amount of Weasleys made it seem much larger, neither had Neville nor Hannah had much biological family anyway. The Scamanders were also there and Xenophilius Lovegood, not that he would be alive for much longer with the poison that Celestine had slipped into his drink earlier, in a few dies he'd seemingly die of old age in his sleep.

If the old fool wanted to live then he shouldn't have expressed belief in his grandson's insistence of Varanian's innocence and written about in the Quibbler, with everything at Hogsmeade the truth was seeming less crazy which was bad. Varanian needed to die, that was more likely if everyone was after him and not just them so people couldn't go around believing he was innocent. Xenophilius wouldn't be missed, anyone with as whacky beliefs as him had no place in his Master's world anyway. The biggest downside that Celestine could see was having to attend yet another funeral, it was all very tedious but keeping up appearances was an important part of being undercover.

"Hey," Harry Potter greeted him quietly with a sigh.

"What's up?" Celestine asked.

"Just none of them have heard from Michael despite writing to him, I hope he's okay."

"Well his stepdad's rotting in a cell where he belongs and his last transformation went alright so he should be, kid's probably just still recovering from the full moon."

"That's what I told Al. And I meant more along the lines of mentally okay, he's been through a lot."

"You've done all you can, he has his own family to worry about him," Celestine pointed out, seeing the concern on Harry's face, "He'll be fine when the dust settles, he just needs some time to get used to things."

"Maybe. Although he's at risk now though, from those damn PAW people. Don't they realize that we're using resources we could be using in the Shadow War to deal with their attacks on werewolves instead?" Harry wondered in exasperation, since Hogsmeade had been attacked, the werewolf stigma had only worsened. It was like his Master said, the world was a terrible place and the people in it would rather fight each other over stupid things then worry about the actual 'threat' and issues at hand.

"That's the public for you, their idea of help is usually our idea of hinder. The public and the new Minister," Celestine offered and Harry gave a strained smile, the new Minister had only been Minster for a few days and already none of them liked him. Too focused on trying to please everyone which ended up pleasing no one and left the real issues unresolved, Celestine was secretly glad. If it was someone competent then they'd have to die as had the best candidates, or had suddenly fallen ill or withdrawn, "I don't think PAW would go after him anyway, all the attacks have been on adults and he killed Greyback. We both know that Helmut's behind it all, even if we can't prove it and since Greyback killed his wife, it might get Michael some reprieve."

"We can hope," Harry said solemnly, "Or it would be better if we can prove Helmut's behind it all and put a stop to it, get back to the real issues with the Shadow War. And finding Florian. I really hoped I'd be able to tell Neville that we'd caught his son's killer today, Nick deserves justice. So does Minerva and Dunbrooke for that matter."

"I think we all wanted that," Celestine lied with a sigh of fake regret, he'd never actually met Florian but he didn't think much of him but that didn't matter. People you didn't like could be just as useful as those you did, they could still serve a purpose, "Do you want me to work tonight?"

"It's like you read my mind. Yea, if you could then that would be great, I want to take another crack at those vigilantes who attacked Atticus now they've been healed up and I'd rather do it with someone I trust. If they weren't PAW or Shadows then I want to know who's going after people related to known Shadows, I think they're the same ones who killed Roland Seraph's mother. Or PAW could just be expanding from werewolves."

"Sure."

"I'm sorry, I don't like having to tear you away from your wife so much, especially now she's pregnant. I would ask Ron but I... don't really think he'll be sober enough by the time this is over," Harry admitted guiltily and they glanced over to Ron.

The man in question was downing something that looked like fire whiskey with George as if to prove their point. Celestine wasn't displeased, Ron's habit made it fairly easy to get information out of him as opposed to Harry. Slip some Veritaserum into his drink, he'd think it was just the alcohol that got him talking if he remembered it at all although he needed it much less these days when he was highly trusted. Sometimes Celestine almost felt bad that he was a traitor, almost. He needed more Veritaserum though, it was too suspicious to take it from the Ministry considering how heavily monitored it was. He needed to find out where Harry was hiding the Scepter, his Master needed it and Harry had decided he'd deal with it himself so Celestine was in the dark about its whereabouts but Ron might know. Ron was higher up than he was, both in work and with Harry personally.

"It's alright," Celestine brushed it off with a consoling smile, "I understand. Don't think any of us will have much free time until this over."

"Tell me about it. I feel horrible working and not being able to spend time with my wife and kids but every second I'm not working, I feel horrible that I'm not doing anything."

"I know the feeling," Celestine lied again, in truth he absolutely despised spending time with Gabrielle but it was necessary to keep up appearances and pretending you missed your wife was a part of that too. Maybe she and the baby could die in labor and he could be rid of them. That'd be a nice Christmas present.

"I'll try give you some time off when the baby's born to make up for it, how about that? Assuming we haven't won by then."

"As much as I'd like the war to be over by November, I doubt it. But thanks."

"Least I can do. You want to enjoy them as babies while it lasts, you'll be missing the sleepless nights when you're worrying about them at Hogwarts age."

"And by that, you mean James," Celestine guessed and Harry nodded.

"I just don't know what to do with him."

_Meet me upstairs, now_, Brutus Ashain's voice appeared in his mind.

"I'm sure you'll think of something. I'm sorry, I got to take a bathroom break. I'll be back," Celestine offered and Harry gestured for him to go as Celestine headed off upstairs.

Either Brutus was bringing him the Veritaserum or something was wrong to call for a meeting in person like that, he hoped it was the former and not the latter. He wished Rabastan Lestrange was the one he'd be meeting though, not Brutus, _anyone_ but Brutus. He hated Brutus. He hated Brutus more than anyone, which was saying a lot. He reached the Longbottom's apartment upstairs, thankfully he had a 'fear' of public bathrooms so it wasn't strange for him to use more odd and isolated ones. Sure enough, Brutus stepped out of the Shadows as he headed towards the bathroom near the Longbottom's master bedroom.

Brutus was of average height but he was heavily muscled which always made him seem taller unless you were up close, he was deformed with six-fingered hands and a face that his own mother couldn't love. His large eyes were a chestnut brown but too far apart and one was higher, he had a large misshapen bulbous nose and a long thin mouth that curved slightly up one side. His hair was combed back roughly, an extremely dark shade of auburn but even that couldn't hide the fact he had oversized ears that jutted out. Contrary to popular belief, his hatred for Brutus didn't stem from his repulsive appearance but because of his Master's romantic love for him and not Celestine. He was better than Brutus in every way, he'd do _anything_ for her, Brutus _couldn't_ possibly love her as much as he did but it didn't matter somehow. It was why he so hated Gabrielle too, she wasn't _her_.

"What did you want to risk blowing my cover for, ugly?" Celestine demanded, Brutus' eyes narrowed in irritation at the insult as he'd wanted.

"The Veritaserum you wanted, Celestine," Brutus growled in reply and Celestine narrowed his eyes too, he so despised his name, such a ridiculous girlish name that his parents had bestowed on him. And Brutus knew it. He stepped forward and handed Celestine the small vial, Celestine took it, hating the smell of her perfume off Brutus before putting it in a secret pocket on the inside of his robes, "You need to get the location of the Scepter, Sal wants it badly and you're taking long enough already."

"It's not my fault," Celestine snapped, not wanting to seem incompetent for his Master, "Harry's keeping things close to his chest, Zeke's reveal as one of us has made him more suspicious. I know he's moving it from its secret secure spot somewhere in the maze of the Department of Mysteries but not when or where to or with whom."

"Well find out. We need specifics."

"I know, I'm not stupid."

"Really? Could've fooled me."

"I'm smarter than you, how hard is it to kill one guy?"

"Pip Varanian is a good duelist and if the werewolves hadn't started running away then I would have killed him," Brutus told him defensively, "Investigating that seemed like a priority."

"And you didn't think a quick Killing Curse was more effective than dueling him first?"

"You don't know him, he needed to be defeated or he would have defended himself and I would've wound up dueling him anyway. He never goes down without a fight."

"Then maybe if you hadn't wasted time with your brother?" Celestine complained.

"Just find where Potter put that damn scepter."

At this Brutus stepped back and vanished into the shadows. Celestine immediately turned to his left to head back down, only to see Fleur Weasley standing in the doorway. He felt his heart freeze in panic but he kept the expression off his face, he couldn't be sure she'd seen or heard anything. She look of shock on her face was a terrible sign.

"Hey Fleur, I'm done with the toilet if you want it or whatever reason you come up here-"

"I saw you talking to ze Shadow!" Fleur interrupted in a hiss and turned to leave.

"It's not what you think!" Celestine protested and crossed the space between them quickly to grab her arms to stop her leaving, he dropped his voice, "Look, okay, I'm undercover. Harry has me trying to infiltrate them, find out who the Shadow Master is and where they are so we can get him. If you rush down there and tell everyone them you'll blow the whole thing, they could be watching, even Harry and I don't talk about it unless in a secure location."

"I don't know..." Fleur muttered unsurely and fearfully, searching his face for the truth.

"Fleur, please. You _know_ me, I'm _not_ a traitor. Think about this, think about this. You'll blow months of hard Auror work and if they find out, we won't get another shot at trying to infiltrate them."

"I'll ask Harry quietly, he can confirm or deny it and if you're telling ze truth then it shouldn't blow your cover," Fleur told him, apparently leaning towards the side of because the fear dimmed in her eyes.

"Fleur, no, you can't risk it!"

Celestine pleaded but she was always freeing herself from his grip and starting to hurry away, his wand was in his hand in an instant the realized that he wasn't going to convince her. He didn't hesitate to aim it at her back, she'd made him do this. Why couldn't his bloody wife have come up here instead?

"_Avada Kedavra_," Celestine spoke and the jet of green blazed from his wand, with perfect precision it struck Fleur Weasley in the back. She was dead before she hit the ground, "An attack would be great right around now."

He hoped there were still Specters watching from after teleporting Brutus, his hope paid off. In response to his request, three cloaked figures stepped out of the shadows and launched an attack. He flicked his wand and caused a nearby table to fly in the air, shielding him from the barrage of spells that was flung at him. The attackers they had on standby for emergencies wouldn't know his identity or the reason they were there beyond needing to attack, they would fight to kill which made it realistic. It also made it dangerous.

"SHADOWS!" Celestine bellowed to those down below, "SHADOWS AR- FLEUR, NO!"

He was sure the attackers were confused as she Fleur had already been down before they arrived but it didn't stop the frenzy of attack, Celestine rapidly threw up shields as footsteps started thundering upstairs to his aid. He wasn't worried, he'd been trained by Harry Potter himself since the day he signed up to be an Auror so had become a fair duelist in his own right, he also knew the techniques the attackers would use which gave him a pre-emptive advantage with the shields. He could launch an attack but he wanted someone to have seen the attackers to confirm his lies first, he threw an explosive at the trio to split them up only when the first person reached the top of the stairs.

He couldn't see who it was - not without taking his eyes off his attackers and leaving himself vulnerable - but he had a feeling it was Harry, this was confirmed when the man rushed to his side and he could see his mentor. It was now a fair fight, the attackers were hardly the best of the bunch, he and Harry could take them even if there weren't still people rushing up the stairs. They silently started to double team the trio in a coordinated attack that they had done hundreds of times before, alternating between one being on the defense and one on the attack so the enemy didn't know who was attacking next nor who. All non-verbally as jets of light were exchanged through the air, bouncing off shields and crashing into things, one of the attackers had their arm broken by one of the spells.

"NO!" Neville's voice screamed, "NOT AT MY SON'S FUCKING FUNERAL!_ AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

The jet of green sped by him and Harry, catching the middle attacker of the trio and throwing his corpse to the ground. Generally, Aurors aimed not to kill unless necessary because they wanted to question the person, in this case especially to find out any information they had to offer about the Shadows/Soul Eaters. However they were technically allowed and Neville had been technically reinstated, Brutus' brother too, but it was still surprising to see. The one with the broken arm and the final one fled immediately, vanishing into the shadows as it was decided that it was enough but they left the dead one behind. Celestine and Harry turned to look at Neville, wand still raised unwaveringly as more people started flooding up the staircase behind him.

"YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN!" Neville yelled after the attackers, who were now gone and couldn't possibly hear him, "AND TELL FLORIAN HE'S NEXT!"

* * *

Maurice was trying. He really was but he was really struggling terribly with adjusting to living in a muggle house, it had only been two weeks admittedly but still he found it hard. There were so many strange machine things and he had to wear strange clothes, he quite literally felt like he was in another world. Everything was weird, including Orous' stepfather, Cade. He was very weird.

For example, Cade was a Firefighter, what did that even mean? Did he go out and start attacking fire? Because that was just dangerous and stupid. You needed to put out a fire with magic or water, did muggles really not know that? He was tempted to ask Cade the specifics but he didn't want to come across as an idiot or come across as ungrateful, he was, it made him feel worse for finding things so strange. How did anyone ever get used to muggle life? Cade and Orous had both learned - and were still learning to a certain degree - sign language, so communication without his necklace was easier but Cade still made him nervous.

Cade was so... _nice_. What was up with that? Fathers were _supposed_ to be cold and distant, not _nice_. Didn't he know that? Why was he being so nice to him? And why be so nice to him? Maurice wasn't his son, Maurice was nothing to him. Maurice had tortured someone he cared about with an Unforgivable Curse, as well as - in his opinion, screw Harry Potter - being directly responsible for the deaths of three people and indirectly responsible for the entire attack, he'd aided the enemy. Maurice didn't deserve to be treated well, he deserved to be punished or tortured or locked up in a cold cramped cell. Did Cade - and Harry Potter - not understand the word 'unforgivable'? He felt horrible for it all. Maybe he was just soft after all.

It made Cade's kindness even stranger. Was he doing it because he wanted something from him? What could he possibly want from him? He wished Cade would just ask him already then just treat him normally again with the contempt he deserved, since Cade was giving him a temporary home he'd more than willing as long as it wasn't completely unreasonable as it was only fair. Or what other reasons could it be for the bizarre behavior? Was it a test of some kind? A puzzle he was supposed to figure out the cause? Muggles couldn't do magic but they weren't completely stupid, there had to be a reason. Maurice just hadn't figured it out yet.

It was his - and Orous' - thirteenth birthday at any rate, it was the strangest birthday he'd ever had. Cade had gotten them both gifts. Gifts. Multiple gifts for their birthday. His father never got him gifts for his birthday, only Corin ever did and only one thing, why could Cade buy more presents? And why for _him_? It made no sense. And Cade had claimed to have gotten them birthday cake for later, that was both bizarre and bad for his teeth. He'd never had a birthday cake before in his life, he'd assumed it was just an expression that people said or a fairytale not an actual thing people really did. And the weirdness didn't stop there, Cade had taken them to a carnival to celebrate which was apparently something Orous enjoyed.

Maurice decided he didn't like carnivals, the rides scared him. Was he really supposed to trust a non-magical machine? He didn't care there were muggles around, he kept his wand in his hand in case he needed to defend the three of them from muggle craftsmanship. They certainly didn't look safe but Orous encouraged him to go on them, Maurice did just to make sure nothing happened to him and Cade but he didn't like it. People even looked like they were screaming, were muggles just insane? He was glad when they took a break to go to the toilet, Maurice didn't need to go so he just waited back while they queued.

And then he saw it. The skeletal snake symbol of the Soul Eaters, on the back of the cloak of someone hovering the forest around the edge. Maurice had his wand in his hand as he threw himself into a run to stop them, the Shadow presumably heard him as he started to run. Maurice ran after them, secretly glad as he couldn't use magic in front of muggles but there'd be none in the forest. He ran after the figure, they weren't particularly adept at hiding or running very quickly.

They came to a clearing and Maurice threw a stunner at them but the figure disapparated, Maurice cursed silently and looked around in every direction to see if he'd reappear. He didn't. Maurice scowled, wondering what could possibly have been the purpose of that if they hadn't been doing anything or luring him to be attacked. He was about to head back before he noticed his translator necklace hanging from one of the branches of one of the trees. That explained it. He despised the thing from the energy it took but he couldn't fault its usefulness, he pocketed his wand and grabbed it. Too late, he realized his mistake as he felt his body tugged through space. They'd turned his necklace into a Portkey. He cursed himself for not thinking of that as he was hurtled helplessly and magically. He was going soft.


	2. IV: Run Away

_**Thanks to:** HarryPadfootLupin, Aya Diefair, Lucifersdaughter, guest reviewer, Winged-panther1 and Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Please tell me Celestine eats it this time?_**  
_There will be death in this book but his is not one of them. Some high-ranking Shadow dies next book though, whether its him or not I won't say_

**_Is this story gonna have more parallel irony?_**  
_Yep_

* * *

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was having a horrible only reason he hadn't fled Malfoy Manor the first night back after his parents had forbidden him from Hogwarts was because Varanian had convinced him not to, to instead give his family some time to come around. They hadn't for the entire month of July and his patience was gone by August, they'd made up their minds and so had he. The other thing weighing on his mind was the lack of response from one of his closest friends, Michael Sanford, a muggle-born who'd turned into a werewolf at the end of the previous school year. He'd sent plenty of letters but Michael had replied to none of them, Scorpius had no way of knowing what had happened with Michael's abusive stepfather or how he was coping with being a werewolf. The smallest of consolations was that his owl, Free, was coming back with no letter meaning that Michael was definitely getting them - thus not dead or severely injured - but just not replying.

He was particularly concerned about Michael, especially with the recent rising of PAW (People Against Werewolves) attacks on werewolves. His favorite professor, Atticus Ashain, had also been attacked but that was for being related to a known Shadow, his brother, Brutus. A new minister had finally been appointed too, Zyas Lenkin, who had attempted to satisfy those pro and against werewolves by making it law that all werewolves had to wear an identifiable wrist band. Supposedly it marked werewolves for the general public so they could know who they were and avoid them during the full moon if they wished for those pro, and also made it easy to identify whether werewolf attacks were caused by registered werewolves or not as the bracelets would hold during the transformation. This had backfired quite a bit, those pro werewolves thought it just made them easier targets and those against thought it was pretty useless at protecting them. Scorpius had to agree with it just being... stupid, only the Prophet seemed to think it as a good idea which Scorpius thought said a lot about those who wrote for it.

Even the friends Scorpius had who did reply were also not having a great time, Fleur Weasley had apparently been killed at Nick Longbottom's funeral so while Abby was still reeling from the loss of her brother, Albus and Rose - and his girlfriend, Molly - were reeling from the loss of their aunt. He was glad to hear from them - it was the highlight of his holiday - but not glad they'd lost someone. The Scamander twins' grandfather, Xenophilius Lovegood, had also passed away so the three were solidly busy with funerals. It was saddening, also a reminder that Scorpius would soon be attending the funeral of his second baby sister. Well, they didn't know the gender - which was why his parents were obsessively having the baby's room done up in green - but Scorpius was sure it was a girl, Lyra II who'd join her big baby sister. Scorpius tried not to think about it, he didn't want to lose another sibling and didn't know why his parents tortured themselves with hope, it'd only hurt more when the baby died too.

Scorpius hadn't even had the distraction of visiting Varanian so much for training. Varanian had given him a Portkey that he'd specially designed to bring him to Varanian's hideout - protected by the Fidelius Charm - and back to whatever location he'd came from at simple commands, they could also communicate short messages with it. He had been Scorpius' first priority when he'd returned, needing to fill Varanian in on what had happened at the end of last year and hear whatever new information Varanian had to offer. Scorpius had actually thought Varanian looked almost proud when he spoke of the confrontation with the Shadow Pyrrhus Florian at the end of the last school year, Roman had just gone quiet and left when Scorpius spoke of Maurice using the Cruciatus Curse on Florian. Roman Rivers had been forced to aid the Shadows but the Ministry wrongly believed he was one of his own free will and was a criminal at large, much like they thought Varanian was also a Shadow but he was innocent and had just been possessed.

Varanian was now fighting the Shadows, using his metamorphmagi ability to avoid capture and to gather information. Scorpius hadn't seen them as much as he liked, Roman had given a speech after the attack in Hogsmeade that was spurring more belief in their innocence. People were actually writing to Varanian, wanting to help him fight the Shadows which was completely freaking Varanian out with what to do about it and worrying whether it put him at risk. Limiting Scorpius' visits was part of his paranoid reaction, much to Scorpius' annoyance as it left with him nothing to do but worry and seethe at being a prisoner in his own home.

But his patience had been dwindling and when his Hogwarts letter had arrived, the last of it had gone. He'd swiped the letter before his parents could destroy it, putting a blank piece of paper into the envelope instead so they'd think it gone and taking the list for himself. He had no intention of not going to Hogwarts that year though so two days before his birthday, he packed up his trunk and all the accumulated allowance money he had. He snuck back downstairs after his family and the house-elves were long asleep, scribbling down a note so they'd know he left voluntarily and because he wanted them to know. With any luck, if they realized how much it meant to him than they would relent and allow him to go and if not then clearly they just wanted him to be miserable so good riddance.

_Dear Everyone,_

_I'm leaving. I want to go to Hogwarts, there's people there I care about and friendship actually matters to me. I may not be of age yet but I'm also not a silly little kid, I'm capable of understanding things and I think I'm old enough to make my own decision about this and that you should accept that. I'm growing up and you have no right to keep me here against my will like a prisoner so I'm leaving. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Scorpius_

He thought it was short but he didn't want to waste time writing out a long message, he had a feeling it would only devolve into an angry rant if he let it go long anyway. He didn't waste another second heading back up to his things and Portkeying himself, his trunk, owl and broomstick with him to Varanian's hideout. It was dark but the full moon cast a surprising amount of light, he wondered how Michael was doing.

Scorpius was sorely missing the use of magic as he awkwardly hovered off the ground slightly with his broom and dragged the trunk while trying not to knock over Free's cage, eventually he let the bird out for fear of hurting him and found it much easier without the bird's weird. It was still uncomfortable and he was glad when he reached the door. The building looked a complete mess from the outside, a derelict dilapidated ruin with all the windows boarded up and it bowed in the middle as if a giant had tried to sit on it. The gray stone walls looked battered with cracks meandering through it, you could see the roof was clearly missing in some places, revealing the rotting wood from the frame. However, inside it was much nicer as Roman had done it up since he'd joined Varanian in hiding.

Inside, the place was lit up by candlelight and the walls were a warm orange. The floorboards shone and the door handles gleamed, the doors and wood trimmings all were immaculate and dust-free. Nothing like the first time Scorpius had been there, it no longer smelled of mold either but rather like cleaning materials with a hint of lemon. Scorpius wondered whether Roman had only just cleaned or if it always smelled like that.

"Oh, it's you," Roman greeted him disdainfully as he poked his head out one of the doors, he stepped out into the corridor with a bowl and spoon as he was apparently in the middle of eating soup but was still thin and dressed immaculately. Unlike either of his sons, his hair was jet black and shorter - neater too - while his eyes were a shade of muddy brown that were ringed with fatigue but still sharp and narrowed on him, "What are you even doing here? Didn't Varanian limit your visits? And what's with all that stuff? You better not be trekking mud in here!"

"I just need to talk to Varanian about staying here for a bit," Scorpius explained as he hauled his things inside and closed the door behind as Roman came over.

"Well Varanian isn't here and I never know when he'll be back. Go home."

"I can't go home, I'm running away."

"Well you can't stay here, what if Aurors burst in here? I'd be arrested for kidnapping! And then have my soul torn apart by Soul Eaters."

"If Aurors burst in here they'd arrest you anyway, you're a fugitive," Scorpius pointed out and Roman only scowled.

"So? I don't need _you_ adding to my crimes. I don't want runaways staying in my house."

"Does it actually matter what crime they'd arrest you for? And it's not your house, its Varanian's hideout."

"Yeah well... shut up," Roman grumbled before the door behind Scorpius opened and Varanian stalked in.

"Roman, what have I told you have dumping stuff in the entrance?" Varanian complained before noticing Scorpius, his eyes were currently a piercing gray and his hair his most common scrawny tawny color. He was tall and the scars on the edge of his cheeks and chin were visible, as were the burns on his hands from being burned alive by Death Eaters ago. He looked dead on his feet with exhaustion and his cloak was spattered with mud, "And what are you doing here? Did I not tell you about limiting contact as a precaution?"

"You're too paranoid, Varanian, you need to write those people back and get followers to help us. Then you could delegate and not be exhausted and cover more ground. Well the men at least, I'm not sure we should trust the women."

"Maybe I like being exhausted and that... just sounds sexist," Varanian pointed out incredulously before turning back to him, "Now, Scorpius, answer my question. Did something happen?"

"I ran away because my parents wouldn't budge and I wondered whether I could stay here for a bit," Scorpius explained, thinking Varanian would readily agree but he looked horrified, "Just until September when I can go back to Hogwarts."

"Absolutely not!" Varanian burst out and Scorpius felt both hurt and surprised, "You go home right now! This is not a game, we are actual fugitives on the run for the law. It's not a good place for a thirteen year old to be."

"I'm fourteen in two days!"

"That makes so much difference!"

"It's only for a month! It's not like I haven't been here in danger before," Scorpius protested against Varanian's reaction, "I can help and stuff, please! I want to go Hogwarts, my parents are being completely unfair and treating me like a prisoner!"

"I know what that's like."

"Shut up, Roman!" Varanian snapped, "I know it feels like your parents are being unfair but have you ever considered that they're just trying to protect you? It's something that you need to work out with them, you can't just run away."

"That's just ridiculous, they just think I'm stupid and weak!" Scorpius insisted feeling his anger rise, "And I can and have run away! I'm pretty sure it's law that they can't stop you if you want to go to Hogwarts so I'm in the clear."

"Yes its law but there's more to it than that, it's about money. You'll need new books and stuff and you have to pay for it, Hogwarts will only pay if extreme circumstances such as if someone was an orphan or their family literally have no money. However, if you run away and your family don't want you to go then Hogwarts will - almost always - side with the family and not provide you with any funds. If you can't buy your things or get to Hogwarts then you _can't_ go."

"Well I have money, I brought everything I had."

"Fine. How do you expect to get to Kings Cross? To Diagon Alley to get the things even? How to you expect to carry it all without magic to make it lighter? Where do you think you would stay?"

"I thought that... you would help me," Scorpius admitted, managing to feel incredibly betrayed and incredibly stupid at the same time, "I thought we were friends."

"We're not friends, we're allies and that's all," Varanian affirmed as Scorpius hung his head, "I'm not helping you run away from your family, you need to work it out with them. We are strictly professional, well if our professions were going after the Soul Eaters instead of just... nothing. And this has nothing to do with the Shadow Master or us hunting him-"

"Or her," Roman spoke up and both threw him an irritated look at the interruption, "What? We always say 'he' and has anyone stopped to think that it _could_ be a woman? None of us have actually met him or her so we don't know. And women are the ones who like torturing and destroying people."

"You have problems," Varanian complained, "Serious problems. And statistically it's more likely to be a man. And from what we know, someone related to but not a Death Eater who's probably somewhere in their late thirties likes Marius, give or take a few years."

"I'm just saying it _might_ be a woman."

"Well I doubt it and it has absolutely no relevance to our current conversation so be shut up," Varanian said before turning back to Scorpius again, "So just get your stuff and go home, Scorpius."

"I'll go but I'm not going home," Scorpius stated stiffly but determinedly, he could get by perfectly find without Varanian. Screw Varanian. He cast a Featherlight Charm on his trunk while he had the chance, the Fidelius Charm shielding him from the Trace, before picking it up to go now it was manageable.

"Where will you go then?"

"The Leaky Cauldron."

"Closed due to Nick's death, they pub section is open and so people can get through to the Diagon Alley but not for guests to stay."

"One of my friends then."

"Which one?"

"Albus," Scorpius guessed since he was actually the only one that he had an address for.

"His father is Head Auror. You can't stay with him, he'll be legally obligated to inform your parents and return you if they wish it."

"Rose then."

"Same problem."

"Michael."

"Do you even know where he lives?"

"My girlfriend," Scorpius said through gritted teeth, feeling immensely annoyed with Varanian shooting down all his possibilities.

"Yes, her stickler-for-the-rules Ministry working father is really going to let a runaway stay with him."

"Fine then I'll just stay in a hotel!"

"I supposed you have muggle money then because Gringotts isn't open to convert it this late."

"Then I'll sleep in a damn ditch! Would that make you happy?!" Scorpius yelled at him in frustration, "Because I'm not going home, Varanian, I'm serious about this! What is your problem?!"

"I haven't slept since Thursday," Varanian admitted tiredly.

"It's Wednesday," Roman pointed out.

"What are you, my calendar? Look, Scorpius, I ran away when I was just a bit older than you and it's harder than you think. Just go home, you'll be safer and you'll just have to deal with your parents."

"Why do you even care, you asshole? I can take care of myself," Scorpius snapped and started to head out.

"You're right, he is an asshole," Roman offered as Scorpius left, "Wouldn't rewrite his notes on the boards in neater handwriting. Try not to die out there!"

"Roman, shut up!" Varanian complained, "And for the last time, I'm not doing that."

"And you're always telling me to shut up."

"Because you never shut up!" Varanian yelled as Scorpius stalked back out into the cold night, trying to think whether he should try Albus' house and see if they had an address for Michael or whether he could send Free off with a letter and somehow follow him. Maybe on his broomstick since his trunk was now lighter or- "Wait!"

"What?!" Scorpius demanded irritably as he turned back round to see Varanian in the doorway.

"You're not going home, are you?"

"I told you, no!"

"Fine. One night then, Scorpius," Varanian offered reluctantly, "You can stay here just for tonight and then you think about going home, okay?"

"Okay," Scorpius agreed although he was still annoyed with Varanian and had no intention of going home but he was grateful for somewhere for the night at least. One night down, a month to go.

* * *

Michael hadn't been wrong when he'd said that arresting Bob would destroy his family. The stress had made Crystal's heart valve finally give out, hospitalizing her until they'd be able to do the operation and with Bob in jail, it left them alone. Bob's mother had agreed to take the little ones but not him, Michael had been stuck left with his biological father, Jack Thorne. He missed his family - minus Bob - but he'd known he'd lose them as soon as he agreed, he'd gotten to say goodbye to the little ones at least. It was better that way, he was a monster, a werewolf, and they were better off away from him. Especially after having already been attacked by a werewolf. He oddly didn't feel upset or angry or even glad, he was just relieved that Bob was out of their lives. Crystal would get the care she needed and the little ones were being cared for properly, the Ministry were keeping an eye on her anyway.

Jack insisted on them visiting Crystal - his mother - but she was barely conscious, usually Michael just sat silently while Jack read to her even if he doubted she was awake enough to really understand. He'd only had one conversation with her and that was the first time they'd visited, the day of the full moon. Jack had gone to the toilet, leaving them alone although he'd just stared out the window as he thought she was sleeping.

"You did the right thing," her voice came out weakly and he'd glanced to her in surprise, "I'm sorry I never had the courage to do it myself."

"It's okay, I'm the one who should be sorry," Michael had admitted as he squeezed her hand gently, "I broke up our family."

"What family? We were already broken," Crystal told him tearfully, "I should have protected you better but I was too sc-scared of him and too ashamed to-to think of getting help because I'm too w-weak to go alone, so stupid. I'm sorry I failed you, Michael, I'm sorry. I failed you all. It's better this way, R-Ruth will take g-good care of the little ones and J-Jack is good. Flawed but good. Annie will be out in a few months anyway."

"Just focus on getting better, okay?" Michael said gently as rivulets of tears rolled down her cheeks, she squeezed his hand tightly.

"Wh-What does it matter now? Just take care of yourself, I'm proud of you. I love you, son."

"I love you too, Mom," Michael whispered but her grip had already gone lax, slipped back into unconsciousness. He wiped her tears and kissed her gently on the forehead in farewell.

Someone from the Ministry had come later after they got back, giving him the final potion and volunteering to stay through the night for his transformation to make sure it went smoothly. It did, or as smoothly as the transition from man to monster could go anyway. The pain wasn't diminished, not even slightly but he did retain his own mind which made him both worse and better. Glad he wasn't hurting someone but it just enforced even more that he _was_ a monster, the man advised he sleep but all he wanted to do was cry. Or run. He felt so powerful as a werewolf, so full of energy that screamed to be used not wasted curled up on the floor of his room. It gave him an idea though for the next full moon. The exhaustion following the full moon didn't change either.

Jack was being weird. He had been telling the truth about having a nice apartment, he had a room for Michael and the place was actually clean. He'd also been telling the truth about being sober, there wasn't any alcohol in the house - unless it was well hidden - but he didn't see Jack drinking nor did Jack leave to go drinking at night. He was being attentive, always trying to talk to him or do things with him. Michael knew he should be grateful, how often had he wished for Jack to be around and to care growing up? But if anything, it just made him angry. It was too little, too late. Michael didn't want him around anyway, he was still a werewolf and Jack was a defenseless muggle. It was time to say goodbye. He'd been ignoring his 'friends' letters too, he just really couldn't be bothered. He didn't want them to write to him anyway, they were better off away from him. Scorpius had a scar on his jaw that _Michael_ had caused. Nick had been his friend and Nick was dead because of his stupid decision to leave him alone in Hogwarts to deal with Florian. It was _his_ fault. His friends were like his family, better off away from him. Maybe if he ignored them, they'd hate him and stay safely away from him.

It seemed he had just gotten over being bedridden from the full moon when the Ministry approached him again, this time to explain about new laws regarding werewolves. He was given a black wristband to wear whenever in public and had to make sure it was visible, no hiding it up his sleeve for example. Michael hated it. Just another reminded that he wasn't human, just like when he looked in the mirror and saw his now-golden prosthetic eye. And seemingly just after that, his daily shipments of Wolfsbane started arriving from the Ministry for the next full moon. Lupin's Law meant the Ministry were obliged to provide free Wolfsbane potion for registered werewolves - unless they stupidly didn't want it - and had someone from the Ministry stay - only for the first Wolfsbane transformation - if they wanted. This time though, he had a plan to utilize his condition to his advantage as he scoured maps to ensure his route would all go to plan, he still had some of the sleeping potion they'd been using on the staff too.

"You... You all set?" Jack asked nervously the afternoon of the full moon, faking a smile and sitting beside him on the couch.

"Yes," Michael admitted truthfully and Jack put his arm around him in an attempt to be comforting.

"Do you want me to stay with you during... during... the night? I can do that if it'll help you feel better, Mikey," Jack offered gently and Michael couldn't be bothered to correct his name.

"No. It's safer if I stay in the room by myself," Michael told him truthfully although he really had no intention of being there at all.

"C'mon, Mikey, I'll be fine. Think about what's best for you and not worry about everything else," Jack complained with a roll of his eyes, "Don't be so responsible all the time."

"Don't be so responsible all the time?" Michael repeated as he felt his anger bubble up inside him, years of resentment rallying beneath his skin with teenage hormones and werewolf near-surfacing. For the first time, he didn't shove it back down there. It wasn't like he'd ever get another chance to say it, Jack wouldn't stick around long enough to make it to Christmas.

"Yeah, you're always so responsible and-"

"Did you ever think _why_ I was like that?" Michael demanded as he jumped up, Jack looked taken aback and a part of Michael begged him to just do the polite thing and sit down and say nothing but it was silenced in the flood of anger, "I _had_ to. You ran away and then got yourself thrown in jail, you have no idea what it was like. Agnes died, Crystal was too sick to do anything and Annie was working a zillion hours a week to pay for all three of us. I _had_ to grow up fast, I _had_ to be responsible. Someone has to be responsible, Jack, someone has to be strong for the family and there was no one else. I had to grow up and learn to take care of myself or I'd have to go into foster care, I had to be responsible because you and Crystal weren't."

"Okay, I get it."

"No you don't! You've never been responsible, you've never been there! If you were more responsible then I wouldn't have had to be, if you were a better father then I could've had a better life! A better childhood! I'm not a child - and yes, I know I look I'm fucking ten - but I'm not anymore, Jack, I'm a teenager, I'm a wizard, I'm a werewolf, I killed a man! I'm not an innocent little kid anymore, you missed my childhood and that's not okay! You don't think I wanted to be normal? You really think I wanted to be the one kid who knew Santa wasn't real and drew pictures of someone I saw murdered? You really think I wanted to be the one kid covered in bruises every day with my real dad in jail? It's not okay!"

"I didn't know about Bob," Jack protested, still looking shocked but for once, Michael didn't care. He'd been holding this in for a long time, "If I had of known, I would've protect you."

"You should have known! You should have protected me!" Michael shouted, "I was just a little kid and you're my _father_, you should have known. You should have cared enough to stick around, I tried to tell you once and you didn't want to know because you always, _always_ put everything before me you always put everything before your family. You're selfish. And don't pretend it's not true because we both know it is. You were never there for me, you were never there for Crystal and you were never there for Annie! You were never there."

"I know I've made a lot of mistakes but I'm trying to make up for it, I'm trying to do better now," Jack said quietly and tearfully.

"It's too late, Jack!" Michael yelled truthfully as he felt his anger run its course, "It's too late! You missed my childhood, you missed my life and now it's too late. It's too late for me. It's too late for you. It's too late to make it right. There are moments in life when you have to make a choice that'll make a difference and the rest is just living with the consequences, there's only consequences left for us."

On that, Michael turned and left to retreat back to his room. He threw himself down on his bed, managing to feel good for saying everything and bad that Jack was upset over it. In fact, he was probably just going to get drunk and run away again, he might not even need the sleeping potion. But Michael had been upset too, parents were supposed to protect their children and when they didn't even try, the children were left with the consequences. He waited a bit before starting to pack up his things, really testing out the lengths his wallet could go. It was a gift from Jack, his wizard friends had put an undetectable extension charm on it and given him a fair bit - well, _a lot_ - of money, both muggle and magical. He even managed to fit his whole trunk in there and it didn't feel the slightest bit heavier, a very nifty little thing.

All he had left was the last of the sleeping draught potion, a shoulder bag and his wallet. The room looked exactly as it had when he'd first arrived, neat and empty except for the bed and dresser. He sent his owl to deliver a letter to Hogwarts asking if he'd still be able to attend since he was a werewolf, he'd already been told the answer was yes but it just got his owl there and allowed him to pack the cage too. Then he slipped out and went to the kitchen, pouring them both some Dr Pepper and slipping the potion into one before going back out to Jack, who surprisingly hadn't ran away yet.

"Hey, I thought you might be thirsty," Michael greeted him as he handed the one laced with sleeping potion to Jack, his father hastily wiped his sapphire blue eyes and looked surprised as he took the glass.

"Thanks," Jack muttered as he ran a hand through his short but unruly dark brown hair, looking down into the drink, "Are you still mad at me?"

"I didn't say anything I didn't mean but I'm not mad at you, there's no point. I know who you are," Michael offered as he sipped his own untainted drink, it was nice but Jack still hadn't touched his.

"I am sorry," Jack admitted, "I know I screwed up, bad. It's okay to be mad, I'm mad at myself too sometimes a lot. I think the future and the present is what matters though, not the past. I'm trying to do right by you now, we can get through this if we stick together. You're the best thing in my life, I love you, Michael. I'm really trying to do better. Annie gets out in November and we'll all be united, you'll be able to see her at Christmas break. That's something to look forward to, right? And we can have a real Christmas - no stolen presents - but just as a family, hopefully Crystal will back on her feet by then too."

"Sounds good," Michael nodded although he had no doubts it wouldn't come to pass, Jack would probably be back in jail by then or somewhere although he was going to see Annie if possible. He was sure she was a witch, he just needed to look into it a bit more.

"And here, I signed this for you," Jack offered with a smile returning as he handed him what looked like a permission slip for Hogsmeade, "I know you couldn't go before because of Bob, figured you might want to this time."

"Thanks," Michael muttered and pocketed it, in truth he had no desire to return there but he didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Jack clapped him on the shoulder and half-hugged him before leaning back, he smiled and drank. Michael reached forward to take the glass as Jack passed out immediately, placing it down on the table. He finished his own and left without another word, he'd considered leaving a note but Jack never left him one. He'd understand. He took the bus to the edge of town and just stating walking, out into a random field that he'd assigned as his staring point as the sun started to go down. When he found some trees for cover and thought he was isolated enough, he stripped naked and carefully placed the clothes, sneakers, locket, dog tags and wand into the shoulder bag with the wallet. He was feeling extremely exposed, nervous and cold.

He widened the strap as much as he could and made sure it was secure before hanging it carefully on a low hanging branch, then he simply had to wait. Trying to hide his shame and ignore the vast array of scars he now bore, the large Tiwaz rune, his entire left arm scarred from burning, the werewolf bite marks on his shoulder and scars all over from being mauled by Greyback before he was turned. He also had the awful wrist band, it was just black and had a circle, it almost seemed like plastic but he wasn't sure if it was. Michael closed his eyes and wished he wasn't him, feeling the effects of the moon before he saw it.

He couldn't help but scream at the pain of the transformation, his body felt like it was trying to pull itself apart and being violently from several different angles at the same time. His screaming became inhuman howls and by the time the pain stopped, he was covered in fur and had sprouted a tail. His senses were sharper and he felt the energy from his wolf form begging to be used, this time he would oblige it. He padded over to the bag, his goal distracting him from his disgust with his werewolf body. Looping one paw through it and followed by his head to get it onto himself as a werewolf, successfully he got it on.

And then he ran. He embraced the strength he'd have for one night only and ran, sprinting through the night on the path he'd memorized to avoid the roads and people He ran and ran, sometimes not running as fast as he could to give himself a bit of a rest but mostly he forced himself to run, his monstrous body didn't deserve a rest and if he didn't reach his goal then he'd be in no condition to do anything else. He ran. All night. Only stopping when the sun tore his strength from his body, the equally painful transformation back felt like his body was being ripped up and compressed, also tearing itself apart.

He felt so weak, he could have just slept right then and there in the dirt but he didn't. Instead he took his clothes out the bag and got dressed, walking on trembling legs with limbs burning the unnecessary exertion he'd put them through. His body begged him to sleep but he pushed past it to reach a familiar set of gates, he stood waiting, not really sure if anyone would come but they did. He smiled at the two who came to the gates with as much effort as he could muster, smiling was hard when you were exhausted.

"Hey Calderon, Hey Hagrid. Can I come in please?" Michael greeted them before his last reserves of strength failed him and he collapsed into blissful oblivion.


	3. IV: Soul Searching

_**Thanks to:** Winged-panther1 and Aya Diefair for reviewing!_

* * *

Scorpius was led into one of the reception rooms that Roman, it too was now clean and immaculate although only had a comfortable-looking green couch inside it. Roman transfigured it into a bed for him, grumbling the whole time about Scorpius being there and frequently insisting he not touch anything or that makes a mess. Scorpius wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to not touch, the room literally had nothing but the couch and some candles for light. Varanian retired down to the secret basement which held his bed, clothes and wall of information.

Scorpius was left alone after that where he got changed and climbed into the bed, he'd thought he'd have a hard time getting to sleep but he slipped away before he knew it. Maybe he'd felt more like prisoner in his home than he'd realized. He slept maybe later than usual but felt refreshed nonetheless, even if he now had to find somewhere else to stay for a month.

"Are you even awake? That doesn't make any sense," Roman's voice complained as Scorpius was making the bed, he jumped in surprise as he hadn't heard the man come in.

Looking around, he saw that Roman wasn't actually in there and his voice was instead coming from outside. Scorpius left the room and saw that Roman was in the room across from him, sitting at a desk with a cup of tea and papers sprawled across the desk. Roman was bent over them and scribbling frantically and didn't acknowledge his presence, Varanian wasn't in sight.

"Who are you talking to?" Scorpius asked in confusion and Roman jumped so much he almost fell off the stool, instead glaring at him.

"No one. Are you still here?" Roman snapped irritably.

"You were just talking to yourself?" Scorpius wondered dubiously as he came over and Roman blushed.

"It's not crazy if you don't hear voices talk back. Which I don't," Roman protested defensively and Scorpius felt suddenly embarrassed for asking. Roman seemed to feel this too as he cleared his throat and spoke in a very obvious effort to change the subject, "Care to guess what the phonetic value of that Greek Letter is?"

"Err...What?"

"What it translates to now," Roman informed him with a roll of his eyes as he pointed to a letter that looked like a 'p'.

"P?"

"Wrong! It's actually the letter 'rho' which translates to 'r'," Roman explained with a triumphant grin that reminded him oddly of Orous, "The one right of it would be 'p', it's called 'pi'. The one left of rho would be 'e', which is 'epsilon' which does actually look a bit similar but the one to the left of that looks like an 'x' but it was also used as a 'h' as well as an 'x', it's called 'chi'. The 'o' to the right of pi is actually an 'o' though, 'omicron' it's called. I bet you didn't know any of that, did you?"

"No, I didn't but then I'm taking Ancient Runes not Ancient Greek and- wait, wouldn't that make that word 'Herpo' then?" Scorpius realized, "As in Herpo the Foul, the Ancient Greek Dark Wizard?"

"Yes, that's the one. Varanian still thinks the Soul Eaters are after Herpo's Scepter, the one they tried to steal last year. He wants me to look into why they would want it and what it could actually be capable of. So I am. Because I want to help. Problem is there are lots of different conflicting legends and stories about it, figuring out which one is true and which one ties into the Shadow Master's potential plans is tricky."

"Interesting."

Scorpius sat down and soon realized this was a mistake as Roman launched enthusiastically into an explanation of the Ancient Greek languages and letters, even worse was that Scorpius actually found it more interesting than he should. Although he did start lose to interest when Roman veered off into a tangent about Ancient Greek life, specifically their architecture and design of artifacts. It dawned on him after a while that he hadn't seen Varanian and the clock on the desk said it was after midday already.

"Where's Varanian?" Scorpius wondered as Roman had started talking about art in Ancient Greece.

"Still down in his basement," Roman shrugged, "Sometimes he does that, goes for almost a week without sleeping and getting exceptionally cranky before just crashing. That man hates sleep. He'll have to wake up soon though, he needs to do a food run. You should ask him to stay after that, he's nicer after he's slept to make up for such a jerk. Well make up for being more of a jerk than usual."

"So what about the Scepter? Aside from being cursed and used to be a Horcrux, why could the Shadows want it?"

"I told you I don't know, there's a lot of conflicting legends about it and their usefulness is dubious. For example, it was supposedly extremely powerful but if the Shadow Master's capable of magic to the same degree as Marius Calderon then would they really need it? And they'd probably need the piece Ashylos took and fashioned into a wand anyway. There are also stories about it raising armies of undead Inferi from the bones of his enemies, could be useful I suppose but I think it's more questionable than others, if Herpo could do that I'm sure it would've been mentioned more. Others say it can be used to get into a secret room to gain access to his accumulated wealth of knowledge in the study of Dark Magic and the Dark spells he created, that could also be useful but no one's ever found a location. There are also stories about it raising Basilisks, extreme Legillimency to the point of brainwashing, blocking out the sun and causing natural disasters. Or it could be something else, wanting to research the supposed curse or something to do Horcruxes or just sentimental value."

"Sentimental value?" Scorpius wondered in confusion and Roman nodded.

"One of the things I had to steal for them was the broken locket of Salazar Slytherin that had once been a Horcrux, Brutus said it was for 'sentimental value' when I asked why or maybe it was just a test run to get things out of the Ministry. Clearly the Shadow Master has some kind of admiration for Voldemort, naming his _or her_ followers 'Soul Eaters' and the similar use of a snake symbol. Voldemort was descended from Slytherin and there's an entire school of belief that Slytherin was descended from Herpo. Somehow I don't think that's it but my point is that there's so many things it could be, we just don't know."

"Brutus was almost certainly lying to hide the real reason he wants the locket. Maybe he's collecting former Horcruxes for some reason?"

"It's pure speculation at this point. And trying fact from fiction is worse, stories from millennia ago aren't the most reliable source of information. The Shadow Master's had years to comb through it all and figure it out, how are we supposed to compete with that? We'll be dead in years."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Scorpius complained as Roman rested his head on his hand in a way that reminded him of Maurice now, "Maybe they don't even want the Scepter anymore anyway."

"They do," Varanian spoke and Roman nearly fell of his chair as he jumped in shock, Scorpius turned to see the metamorpmagus leaning in the doorway, "There was an attempt on it before Potter moved."

"Heard of knocking?!" Roman snapped.

"The door's already open."

"Wait, that gives me an idea," Roman said as his expression of annoyance evaporated in an instant as he pointed to Scorpius, "What you saw in your visions of ancient times from the Scepter could be the key to what it can do that they want."

"I don't remember it," Scorpius pointed out.

"Doesn't matter, it's in your subconscious somewhere. Probably. I could try something on you to make you remember, a spell my father taught me. Not Hogwarts because they're useless. If you're willing."

"I'm willing but I don't think it'll work."

"_Now_ who's being pessimistic?" Roman smirked.

"We're being realistic and Scorpius' connection - sealed or not - will probably make this difficult," Varanian offered and Roman scowled at him.

"You people suck."

"We should still try it," Scorpius volunteered, not sure whether because he wanted Varanian to be wrong for not letting him stay or whether he felt bad for Roman having his ideas shot down when he was trying. Even if Scorpius still didn't think it would work.

"Excellent," Roman said gratefully as he stood and gestured for Scorpius to follow back into the room Scorpius had slept in, Roman untransfigured the bed back into a couch while Varanian simply switched doorways to lean in and folded his arms, "Lie down and close your eyes, don't open them and just listen to me."

"Okay," Scorpius agreed, seeing Roman draw his wand as he closed his eyes. He heard Roman mutter an incantation and an odd tingling sensation started roaming around in the inside of his skull, "My head feels tingly."

"It means it's working. Now I want you to think carefully now, think back to that day when we were standing in front of the Veil with the Scepter. Varanian told you to grab it, do you remember that?"

_"Yes. Now Scorpius, grab the Scepter and throw it into the Veil quickly while we have the chance."_

"Yes," Scorpius admitted as the memory came unusually vividly to his mind.

"Focus on that. You went to grab and then what?"

_Unbearable pain._

"Pain," Scorpius said through gritted teeth at the memory, his body recalling the pain.

"But what did you see, focus on what you saw."

_And then there were images reeling through his mind so fast he could barely comprehend them._

"I don't know, they're too fast," Scorpius pointed out and he heard Roman mutter something else, the tingling in his mind intensified. It wasn't painful, just... odd.

"Focus. What do you see?"

He concentrated and an image seemed to form, almost in slow motion. It seemed like some kind of settlement, a village. It was a cluster of little white homes with paved limestone streets and little red tiled roofs, all a style that looked old by both wizard and muggle standards. And the people, the people in the streets were mostly dressed in sandals and tunics, colored and patterned.

"I-I think it's an Ancient Greek village."

"Yes! Yes, stay with that. What else?" Roman pressed excitedly.

The image remained of the people in the village for a moment, the bright sunshine slowly started to die as a shadow crept over the town. Turning the skies black and casting the village into darkness, people were starting to panic and look around in shock. There was a hiss of something monstrous that had the villagers start screaming and the image started to change again, he saw Professor Ashain only clean shaven like he had been in St Mungo's, it really did make him look years younger.

"I see Professor Ashain."

"No!" Roman snapped irritably, "You're confusing it with another memory, you have to focus. Focus. Focus on the village."

Scorpius tried to focus on the village but he saw the same thing again, the sky turning dark and the people panicking as something hissed. Then Professor Ashain again, like he'd been in the hospital clean-shaven and with his hair not combed back.

"The sky goes dark and the people react to something then it changes to Professor Ashain."

"You're just not focusing enough, stop thinking about your professor and think of the village. Go with the image of people panicking, stay with the memory. Stop thinking about the professor."

Scorpius tried but the same thing happened again.

"I still see Professor Ashain," Scorpius protested and the tingling sensation stopped as Roman sighed in frustration, Scorpius opened his eyes.

"Well clearly that was useful," Varanian commented sarcastically, "I'm going on a food run. Scorpius, you better be gone and back home with your family by the time I get back."

"Damn," Scorpius and Roman muttered almost in unison as Varanian stalked out.

"I'm sorry," Roman apologized as he glared at his wand, "I bet it would've worked with my _real_ wand. And if you stopped thinking about him."

"I wasn't _trying_ to think about him," Scorpius insisted.

"Well subconsciously you must've been," Roman spat accusingly.

"Maybe I'm subconsciously worried about him being attacked at his home? How am I supposed to control my subconscious?"

"He walked away without a scratch! My son is missing and I can focus on the spell."

"Orous is missing?!" Scorpius burst out in shock and worry.

"Weird," Roman mused, "That's exactly what I said. And no, Maurice is the one missing. Probably ran away to go back to those psychos."

"You realize he tried to stop Florian right?" Scorpius complained with a frown, "And I didn't read about it in the paper."

"With Dark Magic. And you wouldn't hear about it, the new Minister just doesn't rate his disappearance as newsworthy because he's the son of a suspected Shadow. That's why Varanian has been trying to find out what happened to him instead of sleeping and being less of a jerk."

"How long has he been missing?"

"Since his birthday, so a few weeks now."

"A few weeks?! And you're not worried?!" Scorpius wondered incredulously and Roman looked puzzled.

"I told you, I'm sure he ran away voluntarily. This is Maurice we're talking about, he's perfectly capable of defending himself so I think it's highly unlikely he went against his will," Roman explained and sighed sadly, "They corrupted him and he's clearly too far gone to save now if he runs to them."

"He's your son!"

"He's Alzay's son too and clearly takes after her."

"You don't even know if he ran away or was taken against his will."

"Someone who can use Unforgivable Curses doesn't get taken against their will," Roman scoffed, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Roman strode back into the other room, presumably to carry on with the Scepter research thing while Scorpius just slumped into the couch. Thoughts of having to leave banished from his mind by the revelation of his friend's disappearance, even if Roman didn't believe it. Scorpius didn't think Maurice had left willingly and he didn't think using an Unforgivable Curse made him invincible, talented or not, Maurice was still a deaf thirteen year old and he thought if the Shadows really wanted to then they could take him. Although why begged the question, he wasn't sure what they would want with his friend. Unless it was for revenge... and if it was revenge, killing him and getting rid of the body was also a factor. He felt his heart freeze fearfully, what if they _had_ done that?

"Didn't I tell you to go?!" Varanian's voice snapped and Scorpius was jolted from his thoughts as the man came over to him.

"Why didn't you tell me that Maurice was missing?" Scorpius demanded worriedly and Varanian's expression softened, "He's my friend."

"I didn't want you to worry. And that's why it's better that you're home, if they took him then they might be after the rest of you five too."

"Don't you think they would've gone after the rest of us already?! His birthday was three weeks though! Don't you know that?!"

"I know what day their birthday is, it's the day before mine. And yes, I do think now that they're probably only after him but I'd still rather you be safe than sorry. They could easily just be waiting for you to be exposed out in the open like Maurice was before going after you," Varanian insisted.

"Don't you think I'd be safer here? In a building protected by your Fidelius Charm and some other enchantments instead of my family's unprotected mansion? Or rather somewhere else because I'm not staying there," Scorpius asked, now determined to stay with Varanian so he could help find Maurice. Varanian sighed tiredly and rubbed his fatigued eyes, "You don't think they killed him, do you?"

"No. Sealed or not, you're still connected and you'd have felt it if he died. Plus I don't think the Shadow Master would waste the connection like that, especially since Maurice is the only one unsealed. I think they took him to try get him back onto their side or at the very least because the Shadow Master wanted to make sure that Marius can't seal him like he did for the rest of you," Varanian explained and Scorpius nodded in relief, "And alright, you can stay for a few days. But that's it."

"Okay."

* * *

Jack woke with a yawn, feeling surprisingly refreshed as he'd had difficulty sleeping of late with his anxiety and guilt over Michael and Crystal keeping him up. It took him a second to think it strange that he was awake at all, hadn't he been in the middle of talking to Michael? He was still sitting on the couch but there was no sign of Michael. He frowned in confusion and looked around but there was no sign of his son. He got up and looked around, he wasn't there, nor in the kitchen part of the open plan kitchen and sitting room, nor in the bathroom, nor Michael's own room... The room was empty, all of Michael's things were gone. He even pulled out some of the drawers to confirm the truth, Michael had gone. Michael had left him.

Jack felt tears prick his eyes as he turned to leave, Michael was gone. The words Michael had said in anger echoed again inside his mind and the tears had started spilling from his eyes before he'd left the room, what hurt the most was that it was true. Michael had every right to feel that way, Michael had every right to be mad... Michael had every right to hate him. He hadn't been there and he hated himself for that, even more knowing what Michael had been going through. He had been selfish. But he wasn't anymore, he was really trying to do better. Like mother, like son though, they believed in forgiveness for anyone but him. Did he really not deserve a second chance? He couldn't change what he'd done, even though he wanted to, but he could affect the present.

And in the present, he wanted a drink. He wanted to crawl into a bottle of beer and escape his mental anguish but he wasn't going to, even with Michael gone. He wasn't going to let himself do that like he always did when something went wrong, he was going to stick to trying to be a better man and stay sober. He was going to cry though, he buried his head in his hands and let his tears fall before a feeling of cold went through him.

_Oh, Jack,_ an increasingly familiar voice appeared in his mind, _you know he was right_

"He l-left," Jack explained to One in a sob.

_Because he was right, it's too late for you_

"No it's n-not. I-If I just stick t-to t-trying then he'll c-come around and g-give me a chance in his own time."

_No he won't, you know he won't. That's what you thought about with Crystal and it didn't work_

"Go away."

_You failed him, Jack. He's never going to forgive you for that, no matter what you do or how hard you try. Some things can't be fixed_

"I s-said go!"

_It's too late. Your relationship with your son is destroyed beyond repair and deep down, I know you know that. With your sister and former lover too. What matters now is that you do what's best for him, merge your soul with mine so we can protect him. You have nothing left to lose_

"I don't want to," Jack whispered as he squeezed shut his eyes.

_There you go, being selfish again. There's no hope for you, Michael even said it. Which is better, having no relationship with Michael and protecting him or having no relationship with Michael and watching him die?_

"All the choices suck," Jack cried.

_So be it then. I can't keep risking talking to you. Congratulations, Jack, you just doomed you both_, One told him before Jack felt the cold feeling fall through him.

"WAIT!" Jack screamed and jumped up, the shadow slipped back into him, "Alright, alright. I'll do it. I'll do it, I'll merge my soul with you. What do I need to do?"

_Lying down would probably be a good idea and then I'll do the rest, all you need to do is not fight it_

"Okay," Jack agreed tearfully before retrieving some pen and paper, "But first I need to say goodbye, I don't know what's going to happen so I want to say goodbye."

_Make it quick_

Jack wrote three letters as if they were his last, one for Michael, one for Annie and one for Crystal before putting them each in an envelope and hiding them into a drawer. Finally, he went into his bedroom and lay down. He pulled out the picture he had of Michael as a newborn, tearing up again as he saw what a perfect innocent baby he'd been in comparison to the present world-wearied werewolf teenager. He'd failed Michael in a big way. He carefully replaced the picture but held the wallet that held it to his chest over his heart.

He was terrified but he felt like it was the only choice. Michael was right, there was no hope for them. Michael wasn't going to give him a chance, maybe Jack didn't deserve a chance. He couldn't be a good father, he couldn't be a good man, maybe he'd make a better... thing. As long as Michael was safe and happy, that was what mattered. Not what _he_ wanted but what his son needed. And Annie and Crystal. He hoped that he was doing the right thing for once because he wasn't sure it'd be his last.

He closed his eyes as pain swept through him, he felt as if claws were tearing him up inside but deeper than his skin, deeper than anything. And so cold, his insides felt like they were freezing so much that it was burning. The pain was beyond anything he'd ever felt before and he screamed like his lungs were being ripped up, he screamed so much his throat was searing but he didn't care, he wanted it to stop.

_No, no, no! Jack, you can't fight it! You have to embrace it or it won't work! Don't fight me!_

That was confusing. Jack screamed and tried not to resist the pain instead at One's command. The freeze-burning stopped and he felt like he was drowning suddenly, his body filling up with cold water so much that he couldn't breathe. And then oblivion. Whether it worked or not, whether he died or lived, whether it was his last conscious thought or not, Jack didn't know. All he knew was the nothingness embracing him and he welcomed it with thoughts of his family. He wasn't sure which he hoped for.

* * *

Orous Knox had been wracked with guilt and concern since Maurice had gone missing, they'd seen him go and ran after him in the forest but they'd lost him. They'd scoured for hours, called both muggle and magical law enforcement but there was no sign of him. He'd found his twin only to lose him again, Orous felt horrible. He'd been the one who'd pushed for Maurice to stay with him and he hadn't even been able to stop him getting abducted or killed, Orous wasn't sure what was worse.

It was now August 12th, exactly a month since Maurice had gone missing. He was sitting on the couch stroking the dogs, the TV was on but he'd been paying so little attention that he didn't even know whether it was a TV show or a film or what. His dad was making them lunch when the doorbell rang, his dad was the only one getting him through it and making sure he was still eating.

"I'll get it," Orous called as he got up, it was easier than his dad having to stop cooking and it was probably just someone selling something stupid anyway.

He sighed and went to open the door but gasped as he realized how vastly wrong he'd been. It was Maurice. He looked a fright, he was wearing the same clothes he'd left in only they were filthy and torn revealing injures he'd sustained, they were also spattered in blood in places. One hand was clutching something that had string dangling from his fist as if from a necklace, the other held his wand but there was blood dripping down from it that had seeped all the way from down the sleeve since he had a gaping wound on that shoulder. His light brown was matted with dirt and blood, sticking all up and out angles now. His oceanic eyes usually looked fatigued but the gray circles were livid and he looked as if he hadn't slept since then, one eye was black from a nasty bruise and he had three large cuts across his cheek, jaw and lips. He was breathing heavily.

"Maurice," Orous gasped in relief, despite his horror at Maurice's appearance as he threw his arms around his brother before abruptly pulling away as he wondered if it would pain his injuries. Instead biting his lip and leading Maurice inside, the boy was trembling, "DAD! DAD! DAD, come here!"

"Maurice!" his dad exclaimed as he hurried out, rushing over to the boy and asking without thinking or signing, "We need to get you to a hospital. Are you alright? Where have you been?"

"Hell," Maurice breathed before stumbling forward and collapsing into his dad's arms.


	4. IV: Not Quite Home

_**Thanks to:** Winged-panther 1 and Leandriel-Whitestorm for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Wont his (Scorpius') family do whatever to find him?_**  
_You're absolutely right, they are looking for him, they've contacted the Ministry and put it in the paper. Scorpius just wasn't aware because he's with Varanian and Roman in hidng right now instead of in touch with the rest of the world and that was only the day after he ran away, its more prominent in this chapter and next. And in case you or anyone didn't know, I answer questions (including your one about Crystal) in the alert chapter of the last book, called 'IV: Note', I answer questions there instead of at the start of the next book so I hope that clears it up for you. The short answer is that Crystal could be healed by magic but it's not something that occurs to anyone_

* * *

As it turned out, a few days became more like a week. Varanian had him practicing his spell work or helping Roman pour slog through every scrap of information they could find on Herpo the Foul and his Scepter, Varanian was mostly gone as he tried to find Maurice. He didn't let Scorpius go with him which Scorpius supposed was fair, he had the Trace on him and while he was safe to use magic within the safety of the Fidelius Charm at the hideout, he wasn't anywhere else and bringing the Ministry down on Varanian wasn't helping anyone. Scorpius still wished he was doing more although he was half-afraid that if he left than Varanian would never let him back in.

Despite his unyielding belief that Maurice had left of his own accord, Roman wasn't actually too bad. Scorpius thought he wasn't used to not working alone though, he frequently talked to himself without thinking about Scorpius being there and got very embarrassed if he did realize. They did have some common ground too, Roman had been a Seeker like Scorpius and tended to talk Quidditch and tactics at meals, both also like Wizard's Chess. Meals tending to be either muggle takeout food or something simple that Roman made from the limited supplies that Varanian brought, it was not usual to get more than one meal a day or if there were two then it was more of a snack. Roman seemed to warm up to him though and had stopped complaining about his presence before the first week was up, even encouraging Varanian to let him stay.

"Good news," Varanian announced as he returned the evening of the twelfth with a food run of takeaway Chinese food, "Maurice is alright."

"I _told_ you he ran away," Roman stated dryly as Varanian started dishing out the boxes.

"He didn't run away, the Shadows took him by tricking him into taking his translator necklace that they turned into a Portkey. He came back battered and injured but claims not to have any recollection of what happened, I think he's lying about that though and just doesn't want to talk about it."

"How do you know this?" Scorpius wondered as Roman lost interest in sorting out the food.

"Heard about a muggle with an albino taking an injured boy to St Mungo's, thought it was probably Maurice so I went there and was lucky enough to catch the Aurors interviewing him."

"Maybe he was just lying to protect them and disguise the fact he went willingly," Roman said quietly.

"I don't think he went willingly but he could still be lying to protect them, it doesn't mean he's on their side but still feels some loyalty to them. Or he just doesn't trust the Aurors because he either suspects or knows some are Shadows. Or he just doesn't want to talk about it, he hides it well but it looked more like trying to block out painful memory. Or it's possible that they really did erase his memory," Varanian explained before starting to eat, he ate less often than them but more in one sitting to make up for it.

"So we don't know why they let him go, or if he just escaped on his own. Or what they wanted with him in the first place," Scorpius summarized aloud although he was glad that Maurice was relatively alright and alive at least.

"He didn't escape. They're better than that," Roman sighed and Varanian nodded his head in agreement.

"I think they let him go because they got whatever they wanted from him. Still not sure what that was but that's my theory," Varanian told them as Scorpius started to eat.

"Can I see him?"

"No one's stopping you."

"No, I couldn't risk being out in the open like that. Don't you have Polyjuice Potion that I could use?"

"Roman, I'm a metamorphmagus, I can change my appearance at will. Why in the world would I have Polyjuice Potion?" Varanian stated, somewhat incredulously at the stupidity of Roman's question, "It doesn't even work on metamorphmagi."

"Okay fair enough. Well can you make some?"

"I could but it takes a month to brew, by then he'd be back in Hogwarts. And you," Varanian nodded his head to Scorpius while Roman cursed under his breath, "Now Maurice is back safe, you_ have_ to go back home tomorrow."

"I'm not going back there, I told you," Scorpius insisted.

"Scorpius, your family are worried about you. There's a bit in the _Prophet_ everyday with your picture and them asking if they've seen you because you ran away, they're concerned and they just want you to go home."

"And I want to go to Hogwarts, if they _really_ cared about me then they'd respect me instead of trying to keep me trapped like a prisoner."

"Work it out with them. Go home."

Scorpius had no intention of going home though, his parents would never change their minds and if he went back then they'd never let him leave again. He had known about his parents trying to hunt him down, he hadn't had much contact with his friends since running away and Varanian had forbade him from replying in case it somehow put them at risk but he'd received one letter from most. Rose demanded he go home because running away was stupid and dangerous, Albus was apologetic that Scorpius couldn't stay with him since his father was obliged to send him home and encouraged him to hang in there until September, Abby seemed to not care either way and was just concerned about his wellbeing while Molly was the most useful of all.

Molly had told him that the Ministry had a harder time tracking down those in muggle residences so if he really wanted to avoid capture then she should stay there, she'd advised him to stay with Orous or Latimer if they'd let him and had even given him the latter's address. She's also encouraged him to at least try to talk to his family but had said if he wouldn't then she'd rather he be with a friend than on his own. If Maurice hadn't just been missing for a month, he would've gone to Orous but he had a feeling he was better off away, the last thing Orous' stepdad would want was another person there while dealing with the aftermath of Maurice's disappearance. Plus Aurors may still be around to talk to him about it and Aurors were Ministry members, thus people to avoid since they'd just take him home. That left Latimer, Scorpius knew him from the Gryffindor Quidditch team and had an amicable relationship with him although they weren't exceptionally close. Latimer was older than him, in the same year as Molly too but Scorpius thought it was worth a shot. If not, he'd just have to convert his money and check into a muggle hotel. It wasn't his first choice but it wasn't permanent at least.

Scorpius set off the next morning, bidding goodbye to despondent Roman although not Varanian as he was crashing from another week of barely sleeping. He awkwardly dragged his trunk, broom and carried the cage with Free in his spare hand as he tried to find his way to a road. He knew where Varanian's hideout was in relation to its close surroundings but where it was in regards to a road was a different matter entirely, it was certainly off the beaten track but eventually he found his way onto a grungy dirt road. He threw up his cloak to hide his face as much as he could before taking a deep breath and holding out his wand arm, willing it to appear.

He didn't have to wonder whether it did or didn't work though because a second later the bus jolted out of the air, he'd heard about it but never actually seen the Knight Bus before. It was a towering triple decker and purple. Very purple, that had not been exaggerated. A hulking man in an equally purple uniform stepped out, he had large feet and very broad shoulders with long gorilla-like arms protruding from them. His hair however was short and bristly, his eyes small and dull which went well with the bored expression on his face.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go," the man said monotonously and smiled with false enthusiasm that revealed rows of rotted yellow teeth, "My name is Greg Goyle and I will be your conductor this morning."

"Can you take me to Nottingham?" Scorpius asked as the man eyed him oddly, Scorpius thought he'd heard the name Goyle before somewhere.

"If that's in England and not underwater than yeah. It can't do underwater."

"Why would I want to go underwater?" Scorpius wondered at the stupidity of the thought. Even if he didn't have a dislike for water and being under it, he could still see no reason to want to go to an underwater address. Goyle scratched his head.

"I dunno. That'll be eleven Sickles anyway or for-"

"Eleven's fine, Goyle," Scorpius interrupted, just eager to get on with it as he retrieved coins from his pocket and counted out the eleven Sickles before handing it to Goyle.

Goyle carried his things easily onto the bus which Scorpius saw was crammed full of mismatched chairs at random angles that all seemed bolted to the ground, the walls were oddly wood-paneled for the inside of a bus. Goyle took his things right up to the front where there was a free chair, although he bypassed plenty of empty seats since there didn't seem to be very many people on the bus. Scorpius saw he was near enough to see the driver who sat at an armchair, a man with protruding ears who looked to be in forties but was still unluckily cursed with acne. Goyle sat down in the armchair beside him.

"Okay, good to go," Goyle said to the driver who nodded, there was a loud bang and Scorpius was thrown violently back into his seat as the bus started moving. Scorpius was terrified for a moment that something was wrong but Goyle grinned, "It's normal, you can relax."

"Normal?" the driver complained as he looked back to them, "I liked it better before the Ministry went an' put in all these safety measures, woz nuffink wrong with 'ow it was before if you ask me."

"I know, Stan. Watch the road."

"An' I know it better than anyone, I've been workin' on this bus since I left old 'Ogwarts, I 'ave."

"I know, Stan. Watch the road," Goyle repeated as the driver - presumably Stan - went to look back to him again but returned to the road, Goyle returned to staring at Scorpius, "So, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," Scorpius admitted, reminded forcefully of the fact he was supposedly in the papers and made up something on the spot, "I'm Atticus Sanford."

"Atticus Sanford, eh?"

"Yes," Scorpius stuck to his lie and Goyle nodded slowly.

Scorpius decided he definitely preferred travelling by motorcycle, the bangs and jolts of the Knight Bus were extremely uncomfortable and had him on edge. Goyle continuing to stare at him didn't help, nor did Stan's continuous stream of cockney speech and how frequently he took his eyes off the road. They seemed to be stopping for all the other people first or to get new passengers, which Scorpius supposed was fair but he really just wanted the journey to be over already. He didn't like being darted all around the country like a ball in a pinball machine, finally though, he was asked for a more specific address in Nottingham and he was more than glad to oblige.

The bus slammed to a half in a shabby looking muggle street, Scorpius didn't care whether it was right or wrong or how bad it was, he was just glad that it was over. Goyle carried his trunk and owl back down the bus and out onto the pavement for him, he decided it was Goyle's most appealing feature that he could carry heavy things like that. He turned to him instead of getting on the bus though.

"You know, _Atticus_, you look an awful lot like someone I went to school with," Goyle stated and Scorpius felt his skin prickle with cold despite the warm weather, "And his name wasn't Sanford."

"You must have me mistaken for someone else," Scorpius said determinedly.

"You needn't worry about me, I wouldn't rat you out. I'm not doing any favors for Draco Malfoy anymore," Goyle told him with a flash of anger momentarily lighting up his dull eyes before he stepped back onto the bus, "Good luck, Atticus."

Scorpius jumped backwards as there was another ferocious bang and the bus sped away from sight, Scorpius let out a relieved breath. He was more than glad to see it go and to see Goyle gone too for that matter, he didn't like that someone knew who he was and where he was although he didn't think Goyle would tell on him. His flash of anger had seemed sincere, plus if he was going to tell on him then there was no point in the momentarily flash of rage or to even comment on knowing who he was at all. He looked around the street, it was dark and dirty. All the buildings looked cracked and crumbling with bits chipping off them, all the windows seemed smashed to some degree or boarded up. There was a man walking by him, humming to himself as he cradled an actual sack.

Unsurely, Scorpius dragged his trunk to the apartment building he'd been dropped outside of. It was no exception to the dilapidated feel of the street, the handle on the door was missing but it wasn't locked so Scorpius went inside, starting to wonder if he was even in the right place. Inside the place stank of urine, the elevator had an 'out of use' sign on it and the bannister that led upstairs was all rotted. Suddenly he hoped that he was in the wrong place, both for his sake and Latimer's. He cautiously dragged his trunk up the stairs, pausing fearfully near the first floor when he saw a huge black rat scuttling by. It approached a smaller rat that was nibbling on some litter on the first floor and abruptly dived on it, the smaller rat squealed as the bigger rat bit into its neck before it went still. Scorpius gagged as the bigger rat started eating the other and hurried upstairs before he could throw up for sure, having to climb up three flights of stairs to get to the top floor which was Latimer's floor. He saw no more rats thankfully but twice caught sight of orangey-brown bugs that he thought were cockroaches. He had to drag his trunk further down the final corridor to get to the peeling letters of '21'. He knocked and hoped it was the wrong place.

"Lat!" a voice yelled from the other side, "Door!"

"Get it yourself!" Latimer's voice called and Scorpius groaned inwardly.

"Get the door, you shithead or you're grounded!"

"Fucking jerk."

There were awkward thudding sounds that followed, presumably from Latimer's crutches. He'd cut off his own foot with magic to stop himself becoming a werewolf after he was bitten, presumably he was getting a prosthetic but until it healed enough to do so he had crutches. A minute later the door swung open and he was met with Latimer on crutches, who looked shocked to see him. Latimer was sixteen or almost sixteen - Scorpius knew his birthday was in the summer but he wasn't sure what day specifically - and of average height, his hair was almost shoulder length and black but exceptionally greasy and his eyes were a reddish-brown. The most noticeable feature though was his skin, every visible piece of flesh was horrifically pockmarked and now he had vertical scars across his face from the Hogsmeade attack. They werewolf's claw had managed to miraculously miss his eyes but the rest of his face hadn't been so lucky.

"What... What are you doing here?" Latimer wondered in surprise.

"Lat! Who is it?!" the voice that Scorpius had heard called, Latimer rolled his eyes.

"If you'd answered the door then you'd know!" Latimer snapped back at the speaker before looking back to Scorpius, looking deeply ashamed, "So what are you doing here?"

"I ran away from home, I just need somewhere to stay until Hogwarts," Scorpius explained and Latimer looked at him as if he was insane.

"And you want to stay... _here_? I'd be happy to help you out but... well... this place is a dump. No, that's insulting to dumps everywhere."

"Yeah, I can't stay with anyone else because they'll have to tell the Ministry who'll take me home," Scorpius admitted, fearful of Latimer's refusal. He'd rather stay in a dump with someone he knew than be all alone in the muggle world.

"Are you sure? This place is awful, there's all kinds of pests and-"

"I'm sure," Scorpius insisted, not wanting Latimer to change his mind because he'd regret it later. He had a feeling he'd regret any choice, any choice but his decision to leave in the first place. Besides, if Latimer could... survive here then he could.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, assuming its okay with my Dad," Latimer sighed before glancing back again, "Dad! Can my friend stay with us for a while?!"

"Silly Lat, you don't have friends," the voice laughed.

"Dad!"

"Alright, alright, geez! Hang on, I gotta talk to him... Where are my pants?!"

"You're wearing them!"

"Fuck, Lat, if I'd known that then _I_ could've answered the door! Why didn't you tell me that sooner?!"

"How was I supposed to know when I was in my room!?" Latimer demanded tiredly as a man appeared beside him.

The man - presumably Latimer's father - was about half a head taller than his son, he had the same reddish-brown eyes and was thin like Latimer but the similarities ended there. He looked in his late thirties and had unblemished skin aside from the gray rings beneath his eyes, he was reasonably attractive with wavy non-greasy hair the color of dust. He was shirtless and barefooted but he was wearing ripped jeans, he had a black tattoo of a sun design on his shoulder and wore a necklace with a tooth. He eyed Scorpius up and down.

"And you are?" Latimer's dad prompted and gestured for him to go on with his hands.

"What?" Scorpius wondered, distracted by realizing he didn't actually know Latimer's first name.

"I'm Austin Latimer. And you are?"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," Scorpius said as his mind jerked back to the present.

"Wrong answer. Thanks for playing, no fancy stuck up pure-bloods allowed-"

"Dad!" Latimer interrupted in a hiss.

"My house, my rules."

"It's an apartment," Scorpius pointed out.

"That you rent," Latimer added and Austin frowned as Latimer sighed, "Give them back."

"Give what back, Lat?" Austin wondered lazily.

"The rings. Give him them back."

"My rings...?" Scorpius repeated and glanced at his hand, jumping in shock as he saw both Varanian's golden Portkey ring and the silver Thestral ring he'd been given as a gift from Calderon were gone. Austin laughed nervously and Scorpius realized the man was now holding them in his hand, Scorpius snatched them back irritably and replaced them, "You_ stole_ my rings?"

"Nah, I just gave them back to you. They fell," Austin lied smoothly.

"How did you even do that?"

"Magic. I'm a great and powerful wizard," Austin told him grandly, Latimer threw him a sideways look.

"Hey great-and-powerful-wizard, your fly's undone," Latimer commented dryly and Austin looked down in panic to see that was not the case, he glared at his son, "So can he stay?"

"I'm sorry, Lat, but there's absolutely no possible way that I can conceivably think that he could stay-"

"I have money?" Scorpius volunteered desperately and Austin immediately pulled him into the apartment, a smile on his face as he clapped Scorpius on the back.

"Welcome! Feel free to stay as long as you want, any friend of my son is a friend of mine and friends are like family which is the most important thing of course, family should always be treated like a king - Lat, bring in his crap! - and anything you need is at your disposal."

"Dad, I can't bring in his stuff. I'm still on crutches," Latimer pointed out, to which Austin rolled his eyes.

"And that's exactly the kind of attitude that is destroying this family."

"It's just the two of us."

"And your laziness is destroying the two of us! You suck, Lat, you are a terrible, terrible person and you should be ashamed of yourself."

On that note, Austin went back out to retrieve Scorpius' things while Latimer just hung his head. Scorpius took the opportunity to look around, at least the apartment didn't smell of urine. It was small though, the kitchen was a shoebox and the sitting area it was wedged into wasn't much bigger, the TV just had static. Clothes and litter were strewn across the floor and across the furniture, the counters were a graveyard of empty pizza boxes and tipped over take out containers, flies buzzed around them.

"And there we go," Austin announced brightly as he closed the door behind him, dumping Scorpius' things unceremoniously onto the floor, "You'll have to bunk with Lat, there's some spare blankets around here somewhere and-"

"Give them back," Latimer sighed as he looked up, Scorpius glanced at his hand and saw his rings were again gone. Austin laughed nervously again as he handed them back, Scorpius replaced them. Again, "And his wand."

"You took my wand?!" Scorpius exclaimed and patted himself down to see his wand was indeed gone, Austin held it up and Scorpius snatched it immediately back.

"It was a test," Austin brushed it off, "And well done, you passed. And why don't you get settled in and I'm going to go back to sleep."

"It's eleven o'clock in the morning."

"Exactly," Austin told him as he threw himself down onto the couch, missed and half fell with only his feet and part of his legs on the couch, "Ow."

"C'mon," Latimer sighed and gestured for him to follow as he limped down the room on his crutches, Scorpius dragged his things after and glanced back to see Austin - instead of moving onto the couch or even a more comfortable position - had just closed his eyes, "I'm sorry, I did try to warn you."

"Is he going to keep trying to steal my stuff?" Scorpius wondered worriedly as he glanced at the rings on his fingers to assure himself they were still there.

"Nah, he usually gives up after a day or so but he probably will still stare at your wand longingly so I'd avoid having it around him if possible. So that's the bathroom, beside it is my Dad's room and my room is opposite them. That's pretty much it."

"Is he really a wizard or... what?"

Scorpius peered in to see the bathroom did look cleaner at least before following Latimer into his room, his room was cleaner although sketchbooks, old muggle toys and books covered the surfaces, drowning the TV and CD player. Posters of Quidditch, muggle movies and Gryffindor memorabilia covered the blue walls, there were also some photos of the same beautiful woman with the uncommonly beautiful child. A younger Austin featured in several of them, some of them just had him and the woman, all of them were moving magical photos. There was none of Latimer himself though.

"He was a muggle-born wizard but he was expelled in his Fifth Year," Latimer explained as he sat down on the bed while Scorpius studied the nearest photo of the woman, Austin and a baby, "Snapped his wand and everything which is why he tried to take your wand, they don't let those expelled buy new ones. He tries to take mine too, you get good at catching on to his tricks eventually."

"Is that your mother?" Scorpius asked and gestured to the photos, Latimer shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah. She's dead now, been dead for a decade already."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius apologized truthfully and pointed to the little boy, "Is that your brother?"

"That's me," Latimer told him and Scorpius blinked in shock, "You didn't think I always looked like this, did you?"

"No, of course not," Scorpius lied, in truth he hadn't really thought about it. Latimer grunted dubiously and Scorpius bit back the urge to ask more.

"I'll see if I can find those blankets, better now than tonight in case there's another power outage," Latimer volunteered and limped off on his crutches.


	5. IV: Old Faces, New Information

_**Thanks to:** Aya Diefair, Lucfiersdaughter and CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey (sorry, if I do your name with the dots then it deletes it) for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Why are all the dads- Jack, Austin, Bob, Roman neglect/abusive their sons?_**  
_There are plenty of dads who don't/didn't neglect/abuse their sons (Draco, Neville (last year with Nick was the only exception), Hagrid, Atticus, Cade, Dudley (before he died), Varanian (before his kids died), Bill, George, etc.). It's partly for their children's characters and partly for the plot for those who have neglectful/absuvie dads._

**_I have a question, didn't Stan die in the beginning of Deathly Hallows? When Harry Expeliarmus'd him off a broom?_**  
_I thought Harry Expelliarmus'd him specifically to not stun him off his broom so he wouldn't die, I always assumed he'd survived and been freed of the Imperius Curse later after the war ended. It has been awhile since I read the book though and I don't have it to hand to check so I apologize if I'm wrong_

_**Author's Note:** And I know this isn't a question exactly but two people have said it now, the reason I assume I'll have less readers each book is because I do have less readers each book. There's less reviews, faves and follows each book (which you can see) but there's less actual views on each book too (which you can't see but I promise its true), drastically less so that's why I natrually think less will read the next one if the pattern holds (then again if the pattern holds this will be the last book with any views at all, haha) and worry my writing is declining somehow. And veering on from that, I finally thought of something I can do to reward you awesome loyal readers! If we get 165 reviews on this book (AKA more than last book, since people can unfave and unfollow) before this book is finished then I will tell you the title for Book 5. That sound good?_

* * *

Scorpius quickly settled into life with the Latimers, Austin did stop trying to steal his wand and rings in a few days as Latimer had said although it still wasn't what Scorpius was used to. The place was a dump, he didn't see any rats inside the apartment itself but saw cockroaches frequently in the kitchen and - oddly enough - the bathroom, Latimer encouraged him strongly to avoid the kitchen. There was no hot water as Scorpius discovered when he attempted to have a shower the following day, Latimer also had to wash their bedding daily to try prevent bed bugs and fleas which was somewhat disconcerting.

Although Scorpius' discomfort was frequently quelled by feeling bad that Latimer had to live like that all the time, it wasn't surprising he tended to stay at Hogwarts for holidays considering his home situation. Scorpius realized that it would be the first time that he himself would be staying for the holidays. Latimer didn't seem to have a good relationship with Austin, the man was friendly enough to Scorpius but frequently put Latimer down or just outright insulted him which Latimer did in turn back to him. This was apparently normal for them though and he had yet to hear Austin refer to his son by his first name. Austin was definitely a strange one.

The first day Austin awoke later in the evening and announced he was ordering pizza for dinner, he watched out the window to wait and upon arrival of the delivery van, eagerly ran out the front door. However, a few minutes later there was no pizza and Austin was still out there. Scorpius went to investigate and saw Austin leaning in the doorway and looking down the corridor, an out of breath overweight man in a 'Pizza 4 U' uniform came up the stairs with a box of pizza. Austin jerked his hand and the man tumbled back down the stairs and out of sight, he reappeared a few minutes later but Austin jerked his hand again and the man fell back again.

"Are you doing that?" Scorpius wondered.

"Yep," Austin confirmed simply as he jerked his hand again to send the man spiraling out of sight again.

"Firstly,_ why?_ Why would you even do that to that guy?"

"I'm delaying him so we can get free pizza, duh. Over an hour delivery and its free, do you have money to fork out on food?"

"Yes."

"Well I don't," Austin snapped as he did the same thing again before looking thoughtful, "Okay I do but I need to save up that money for something else, magical prosthetic feet don't buy themselves and since magic tricks don't tend to work on magic folk, I gotta pay. Next time, Lat, just be a freakin' werewolf because that wouldn't cost me anything. In fact, Lupin's Law pays for that Wolfsbane stuff for free. Wonder how much that'd be worth on the black market, some desperate werewolf saps would be willing to do anything to keep their minds."

"Why would they need to buy it on the black market if the Ministry gives it to them for free?" Latimer asked from the inside the apartment.

"Shut up, Lat. Point is that it'd be easier on _me_, you're an outcast anyway so it's not like it'd even make that much difference to your life," Austin insisted before his digital watch beeped, he turned it off and did nothing as the delivery man reached the top of the stairs. Waddling over to them, Scorpius noticed his uniform was torn and he was developing a bruise on his face from the falls, "Well it took you long enough! Over an hour, the damn thing will be cold now, this is just shameful!"

"B-But I... the stairs," the delivery man stammered out as Austin seemed angered.

"Maybe it wouldn't take you so bleedin' long to get up the stairs if you weren't such a fat sack of crap, what kind of excuse is that?! Children live here! I got mouths to feed and you go pulling this kind of BS, you sir, should be ashamed of yourself!"

"N-No, n-not that... There... There was something... I kept falling... I-I don't know why."

"What are you on about?! Dammit man, I should have you fired for this! Call your boss and complain, over an hour late and your excuse is that you _fell down the stairs_?!"

"No, no, please!" the man begged and handed Austin the box, Scorpius couldn't help but feel bad for the stranger, "Here, free of charge of course! And I'll bring you another one, within the hour and also free. Would... Would that make up for it?!"

"Hmm... I _suppose_ that would be acceptable," Austin admitted slowly and the delivery man looked relieved, "But I am still very displeased."

"I understand, Sir. It won't happen again, Sir," the man told him before hurrying away, "I'll be back soon with that pizza, on time guarantee!"

"And that, Scorpius," Austin said to him when the man was out of sight, "Is how you get free pizza from stupidly gullible muggles."

"It seemed kind of mean," Scorpius pointed out as they went back inside the apartment, Austin shrugged as he opened the box.

"Not all of us can be rich like the Malfoys, gotta get by somehow."

"How did you do that anyway? Make him fall down the stairs repeatedly."

"Magic," Austin reaffirmed with his grin returning slightly, "They can take away your wand but not your power. I may not be on the same level as that Calderon guy but I've had twenty years to work on trying to use wandless magic, I'm pretty good but then I'm a genius me."

It was far from the last time that Austin would use magic to get free food, in fact most nights he did that or something similar if he didn't come back with food already. Pizza, take out and fast food seemed to be the only thing they ate and cereal for breakfast but no lunch although snacks were plentiful. The Latimers didn't seem to eat much though, they had less per portion than Varanian and Roman but still seemed full. Austin was frequently absent for random periods of time during the day or night for his 'work' - whatever that was - and when he was around, he just tended to sleep unless he was getting them good. Every Saturday, Austin would also come home - very drunk - with a different woman - also drunk - who'd spend the night and leave in the morning, usually in disgust at the state of the apartment which Austin didn't seem to mind.

Scorpius spent the majority of his time in the apartment with Latimer though, usually in Latimer's room and do a mixture of muggle and magical things. Latimer introduced him to videogames which Scorpius found fun enough to pass the time or watching TV with semi-interest, other times they'd listen to the Wizarding Wireless Network to keep with news of the Wizarding World where Scorpius even heard an announcement asking people to be on the lookout for him since he was a runaway and his parents wanted him home. They'd also play card games, both the muggle and wizard kind and chess, both the muggle and wizard kind to mix it up. After Scorpius mentioned liking motorcycles, Latimer bought him some magazines about them and Scorpius poured over them eagerly for hours - usually before they went to bed - while Latimer would draw away in his sketch pad.

Latimer even took him to the muggle arcade once 'as a birthday present' when Scorpius had mentioned not getting anything for his fourteenth birthday due to running away, specifically taking him to a game where you sat on a pretend motorcycle and moved it how you would if you riding. Scorpius thought it was fantastic although it only solidified his determination to ride and own a real motorcycle in his later life or present life but unfortunately, Austin didn't own a motorcycle. Due to his family being after him, he was left alone when Latimer had to get his magical prosthetic foot in St Mungo's - an odd metal looking thing instead of being wooden but still light, Latimer had a pronounced limp now though - and gave up his list of Hogwarts things for Latimer to get when he went to Diagon Alley. Latimer did get everything right at least, with the exception of his new school robes since he had grown a bit but without being there to have them fitted, it was understandable. Scorpius did give him the money though, for both his things and Latimer's - after some convincing - since it seemed the least he could do.

He visited Varanian during both of those times, once Varanian wasn't there and the other he grumbled about wishing Scorpius would go home but had him doing dueling exercises with a petrified Roman regardless. Nothing new about the Shadows/Soul Eaters or the Scepter, there were still attacks but small scale again and not in England, Greece mostly. He continued writing to his friends again although with less frequency for fear of being caught somehow, he told them he was staying with a friend and only admitted to Molly that he was with Latimer, she was glad he wasn't alone at least. She - and Latimer - had also gotten their OWL results back, Molly was pleased to have gotten seven Os but viewed her three E's as 'failures' due to her father's disapproval. Scorpius tried to assure her he was being completely unfair and that her father was being unreasonable, secretly half-hoping she'd run away and stay with him at Latimer's too. He missed her.

Latimer hadn't done too badly on his OWLs either, getting four Os, three Es, an A and a P - although that was for History of Magic so Scorpius didn't think it really mattered - but he was very weird about it. He'd also been given a prefect badge as the male prefect in his year was one of those killed in Hogsmeade, he was equally weird about that though and Scorpius couldn't convince him others.

"I don't deserve to be a prefect, I'm not good enough and they've made a mistake. First chance I get, I'm telling Longbottom as much so he can have it back," Latimer insisted as he put away the badge, "And my grades are wrong too. I'm a stupid failure, those Os are obviously typos so don't tell anyone. I'll talk to Longbottom about it too. Assuming he's staying on as Herbology Professor and Head of Gryffindor anyway, if he's not then I'll take it up with whoever replaced him. I hope it's not Grant. Evil bastard."

He still heard nothing from Michael though, Michael alone he didn't write any less to in desperation to hear _something_ from his friend. His inability to go into the magical world because of his parents prevented him from getting Michael a broomstick for his birthday like he'd wanted, since Michael's birthday was the last day of August and he'd wanted to get Michael a broom for a while. He was stuck for ideas until he recalled Michael giving him a friendship bracelet on his twelfth birthday, he never took it off and had been idly twirling it around his wrist when he'd thought of it. He decided he'd make one for Michael too, at best maybe it'd show Michael that it didn't matter he was a werewolf, he was still his friend and he'd stick by him no matter what. Even if his parents hated werewolves all of a sudden. Or at worst, Michael would have something to hide the stupid werewolf bracelet with.

Scorpius didn't think he was especially talented at creating friendship bracelets but he did manage to string together something - eventually - that he thought was good enough. He was actually quite proud, his first few attempts had had a habit of falling apart so he was very glad that his final one stayed intact and looked much better for it as well. He decided he'd give it to Michael in person rather than by owl, Michael was still ignoring his owls anyway and it was better in person. Besides, he'd see Michael the day after his birthday so it didn't seem as bad. Scorpius had settled into routine by the time September came, despite the downsides, it had been better than he'd thought but he was still eager to be back to Hogwarts. Scorpius and Latimer both packed the night before, Latimer offering to hold onto some of his money so Austin wouldn't take it. Scorpius had almost forgotten he'd agreed to pay Austin for letting him stay and thought he'd be safe by splitting it. Austin definitely hadn't forgotten and insisted on everything that Scorpius had left as payment, he was most unrelenting and Scorpius gave him everything he hadn't given to Latimer much to Austin's delight.

Austin waved his hands over the trunks before carrying them both, one in each hand - Scorpius thought it was probably the Featherlight Charm or a wandless equivalent anyway - while Scorpius and Latimer just carried their brooms and pets behind him. Latimer didn't have an owl but rather a cat, a Maine Coon named 'Daft' - short for Daftodil - which he thought was more useful than an owl since he had almost no friends to write to but plenty of rats to keep at bay.

It was cold outside, summer was gone and the biting wind seemed determined to keep it away from September. Austin had a small car, there was only enough room for one trunk so Latimer had his on the back seat with himself and Scorpius' caged owl while Scorpius was given the front seat. It was a two and a half hour journey by car to London, Austin stuck on the radio and they mostly listened to that. Scorpius was somewhat surprised to recognize some of Calderon's music as muggle songs but didn't mind, it reminded him that he'd be seeing Calderon soon as well which he was glad for. He was very excited by the time they got there.

"Alright then boys," Austin announced after they were through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters and handed four Galleons to each of them, "There you go, an allowance for sweets from the trolley and Hogsmeade visits up until Christmas. So long, Scorpius, have a good term. See you, Lat, try not lose any more limbs."

"Bye, Dad," Latimer offered as Austin clapped him on the back and headed back through the barrier, Latimer started to head over to the train to get the luggage on.

"He just left?" Scorpius wondered in confusion, "He doesn't stay until the train leaves?"

"Nope, only time he ever did that was when he dropped me off the first time when I was eleven. Why? Do your folks stay until the last minute?"

"Yeah, they hang around to hug me goodbye before I get on the train just before it leaves," Scorpius explained, feeling bad for Latimer again. Latimer said nothing in reply and just gave a derisive snort as they got their things safely on the train, "Still some time left, you going to look for your friends too?"

"I don't have friends like you do, Scor, I'm sort of friends with some of Quidditch team like you but we don't greet it each other at the platform and exchange stories of the summer. Except Molly and speak of the-"

"Scor!" Molly exclaimed and Scorpius' head spun in the direction of his girlfriend's voice excitedly, his heart skipped and his face smiled.

She was beautiful, perfect. Her fiery red hair cascaded in curls around her flawless face while her eyes were an incredible sky blue that light up as she smiled, she was wearing the charm bracelet he'd gotten her too. She pulled him into an embrace the second their arms were within range, the scent of cherries that always seemed to surround her engulfed his delighted senses. He couldn't help but notice he now surpassed her in height as his eyes now skimmed the top of her head, he also couldn't help but notice she seemed - dare he think it - more curvaceous? They pulled apart and instead his lips captured hers, she kissed him back passionately but Latimer was quick to snap them out of it.

"Get a compartment, you two!"

"Nice to see you too, Lat," Molly commented as they pulled apart, she was blushing and Scorpius could feel he was doing it too. He still craved being close to her and instead intertwined his fingers with hers, her hand was cold from the wind outside so she'd probably just got there, "So was your summer?"

"Sucked less than usual."

"All right," Scorpius said at the same time that Latimer gave his answer, "How was yours?"

"My Dad's girlfriend, Penelope, moved in so that's been fun," Molly said without sincerity, her mother had been killed near the end of Scorpius' First Year and her father had started dating some old flame the previous year.

"How fun?" Latimer asked.

"If I try be nice to her then Lucy gets mad at me because she hates Penelope, if I don't try to be nice to her then my Dad gets mad at me for not being nice to his girlfriend."

"Did you tell him about us yet?" Scorpius wondered.

"I tried but I don't think he was really listening. I don't think he cares about anything but my grades and how hard I study," Molly explained with a solemn sigh, "Last year was all about getting OWLs, next year will be all about getting NEWTs and this year is all about proving my worth to become Head Girl. And speaking of that, did you really make prefect as Peter's replacement?"

"Yeah," Latimer grunted as he pulled out the shiny badge as proof, eying it warily, "Only until I talk to Longbottom and get it sorted out because they clearly made some kind of mistake."

"Did any of your cousins make prefect?" Scorpius asked, feeling suddenly worried about James Potter. He was in the year above Scorpius and they had an antagonistic relationship to say the least due to James' bullying, the idea of him having the power of a prefect was a nightmare.

"James didn't make prefect, don't worry," Molly told him, seemingly realizing this, "But Roxy did, I think Uncle George might die of pride."

"Good for her," Scorpius offered truthfully. Roxy was in the same year as James and while he didn't know her well, he did know her a bit from Quidditch and she was nice enough.

"Hey, there's my runaway friend!" Albus called in greeting as he came over to them with an angry looking Rose and neutral Vern, he clapped Scorpius on the back in a friendly greeting, "And my favorite Quidditch Captain cousin and... erm... you. How was it running away? Was it cool having no parents to tell you what to do?"

"Of course it wasn't!" Rose exclaimed as Scorpius opened his mouth to reply, "There's a freakin' _war_ going on and you go run away, you could've been hurt, you could've been killed! Where did you even go?! Maurice went missing, you didn't think that you could've been next?!"

"I stayed with Latimer, it was fine," Scorpius brushed it off and Rose looked even more horrified.

"The hideously ugly one?! Why would you stay with him!?"

"You realize I'm right here, right?" Latimer wondered and Rose gestured dismissively to him, "I have ears and everything."

"No offense, I mean you must have realized by now how terrible you look. You do use mirrors, right?"

"Rose," Molly said warningly at her cousin's rudeness.

"I think what Rose means is that wouldn't it have been easier to just run away today instead of a month ago?" Vern Dursley interjected, he was the Potter's cousin and also a wizard in the year below them although a Hufflepuff rather than a Gryffindor. He'd been living with them since his parents had been killed two years prior, he had stringy brown hair and emerald eyes, "I doubt your parents would've been able to stop you if they couldn't before."

"They could've tried," Albus protested.

"How?"

"I don't know like putting bars on his windows."

"Who in their right mind would put bars on their child's windows?" Vern wondered incredulously and for some reason, Albus, Rose and Molly all looked at him with a strange expression, "What?"

"Nothing. So have you guys seen Abby or Michael around?" Albus asked and there was a chorus of no's in reply.

"Looking for me?" a girl's voice questioned and they spun to see Abby had approached them, she was Professor Longbottom's younger daughter and in their year.

She had her long blond hair tied back into a thick braid that trailed down her back as always, she was holding the hand of her boyfriend, Corin. Corin was Professor Hagrid's son with the Headmistress of Beauxbatons and some kind of part giant, he was the height of an adult man despite being a year below them but they were catching him up now. Corin had wild dark brown hair that he seemed to have tamed somehow and large black glittering eyes, he was lean and slim despite his height and dressed in elegant satin robes. Albus' expression darkened visibly, he really didn't like Corin due to his belief that Corin had slipped him Laxative Potion last year.

"Hey guys," Corin greeted them and everyone but Abby blinked in shock, his voice had apparently broken over the summer because now it was now drastically deep, "What's up?"

"Nothing much, you?" Albus said awkwardly, trying to make his voice sound deeper but ended up sounding more like a cracked croak.

"Did you have a good summer?" Scorpius asked his friend when he'd recovered.

"Not too bad, my mother paid some of the staff extra to continue teaching me over the summer. She wants to make sure my defensive magic skills are up to scratch before she'd let me go back," Corin explained, "Maurice will be pleased."

"Speak of the devil, where is he?" Rose asked as she flipped her hair over his shoulder in irritation, "Maybe he's seen Michael. Dad said he was found but all hurt and stuff but it was a few weeks ago so he should still be here I think, he will agree with me that you were stupid to run away with all this Shadow stuff happening."

"Found and hurt and what?" Corin wondered in confusion.

"Didn't you hear he was - Mother of Merlin," Rose interrupted her own sentence with a gasp, her jaw dropped.

They followed her gaze to see Maurice had just come through the barrier. He didn't look the worse for wear from his ordeal, his expression was neutral and his eyes oceanic as usual. His face was flawless but he wasn't wearing his fingerless gloves, revealing the scars covering his hands from repeated use of a Blood Quill. His hair was maybe slightly shorter but still a light brown with a slight wave to it, he'd grown a bit taller as well and seemed to have regained his translator necklace. He was wearing muggle jeans, a brown jacket with a blue shirt beneath which was most unusual for him since he'd always before worn wizard robes. Then again, he'd been staying with Orous' - and technically Maurice's as well - muggle stepfather so it was understandable for the change.

"And there's the devil," Albus complained while Rose continued to stare.

"Is it just me or did Maurice suddenly get hot?" Rose asked of them.

"Just you."

"Definitely you," Vern commented as Maurice was followed through by his non-identical twin brother Orous Knox. Orous was an albino, making his eyes crimson and his shoulder-length hair whiter than snow. His skin too was so pale that it was almost colorless, he too was dressed in muggle clothes and had grown a bit as well. They were followed by Cade Knox, a tall muggle with a shaved bald head that Scorpius recognized vaguely.

"Hey!" Orous greeted them happily, smiling weakly as the trio approached, "How was your summers?"

"Get on the train, Scorpius," Maurice said immediately before anyone could reply as his hand went to his translator necklace, he opened his mouth to ask why but Maurice elaborated, "The Hogwarts Express is considered an extension of Hogwarts which is why students on it are not breaking the laws on underage magic if they are on it. Until such a time that you step forth on Hogwarts grounds, your parents can legally have the Ministry return you home. After you are on Hogwarts grounds however, it's your right to attend for the year and they have no legal right to stop you. If you want to go to Hogwarts then get on the train before a Ministry adult sees you and takes you home."

"But I want to wait for Michael," Scorpius protested.

"Just go and get us a compartment, we'll wait for Michael and join you. Unless you want to take the risk of your parents but Michael clearly isn't here yet so there's no point."

"Alright," Scorpius agreed reluctantly.

"See you soon," Molly offered and gave him a quick peck on the cheek as he forced himself to tear his hand away and trudge onto the train.

He found an empty compartment easily since most people weren't boarding yet, getting one with a view of the platform so he could look for Michael. He took the opportunity to change into his robes already since he disliked changing in front of others, he always had the drapes shut when he did so in Hogwarts and had used the bathroom at Latimer's. He still didn't see Michael though. He saw Cade hug both Orous and Maurice goodbye, Maurice seemed stunned for a moment but relaxed after and hugged him back. Mrs Potter and her parents seemed to have been the ones dropping off the Potter kids, Rose, Hugo and Molly since they were the ones they said goodbye to, their parents had Ministry jobs and frequently hadn't the time to be there. Lucy Weasley wasn't there, Molly's younger sister would've been the year below him but she was a squib.

"I don't want to be touched," Lorcan's voice drifted through the open window and Scorpius spotted him with his identical twin Lysander and parents, he had his wand in hand - he always did - and was shying away from his father who was trying to hug him.

"Merlin's sake, Lorc!" Mr Scamander snapped, looking frustrated, "It's been _over_ a year already! You have to get over this stupid thing, enough time has passed!"

"Rolf," his wife said warningly and the man's expression softened slight, Lorcan turned his head away though and Scorpius saw him wipe away welling tears, "Don't pressure him, he'll come around when he's ready."

"_If_ he's ever ready," Mr Scamander muttered as his wife put her arms around Lorcan without touching him in a kind of air hug while Mr Scamander hugged Lysander, who smiled happily without issue as they said their goodbyes.

Scorpius was distracted from the Scamanders from seeing someone he never thought he'd see there, a man with pointed features and receding hairline along with a dark haired woman with a pregnant belly starting to show. His parents. Walking amongst the crowd searchingly, Scorpius leaned back in his seat for fear of being seen. Although if Maurice was correct then it wouldn't matter but still, he'd rather be safe than trapped forever. His friends joined him just before eleven, Molly and Latimer would be with the other prefects so they weren't there and neither was Michael. Albus, Rose, Abby, Corin, Maurice, Orous and Vern all but no Michael.

"Where's Michael?" Scorpius demanded, sure he sounded more accusing then he'd meant to.

"He's not there, we couldn't find him," Albus offered as they sat down, just about managing to fit all eight of them, "Maybe he's just late?"

"Maybe he's not coming at all," Rose wondered sadly as Scorpius looked pack out the window in panic.

A scattering of parents and younger siblings was all that remained, no sign of Michael. He caught sight of his parents again though and this time, his father saw him. Their identical eyes met for a moment before the train started to move, his father's face was desperate and pleading but also seemed to realize it was too late. Scorpius simply hardened his expression, he was sticking by his choice and held up his hand in farewell before the train chugged out of sight, leaving his parents behind. And possibly Michael.

"Maybe he's just been living in Hogsmeade, they don't catch the train but just walk over to the platform when it's time," Abby was saying.

"His family are muggles, why would they move to a wizarding town?" Orous pointed out while Maurice simply rested his head on his hand and gazed out the window.

"Maybe he has to come at a different time because of the full moon," Vern guessed, "Like he's too weak or something."

"The full moon's not until tomorrow so he should be alright health wise," Corin said before the compartment door opened, a girl who looked about thirteen had opened it with a cluster of other people behind them, "What do you want, Nott?"

"Just looking for a compartment," the girl - Olivia, if Scorpius recalled the name of Nott's younger sister correctly shrugged, "Couldn't see it was full with the blinds closed, my bad. Sorry."

"It's alright," Vern offered with a smile and had jumped to his feet in an instant, he was right beside the door, "So, How... How was your summer, Olivia?"

"Pretty good, thanks. Yours?" Olivia countered and returned the smile, nervously brushing her dark hair behind her ear.

"Not... Not too bad," Vern said nervously and Scorpius noticed Vern seemed to be sweating unusually, he hoped Olivia didn't pick on him the way that her elder brother had picked on Michael in their First Year or the way that her eldest brother had picked on Molly.

"Good. I'll... I'll see you at school then," Olivia told him hesitantly as she stepped away from the door, closing it behind her.

"See... See you," Vern waved before sitting back down, "Think I'd be allowed to invite someone to Teddy's wedding this winter?"

"No," Albus shut him down immediately.

It was an uncommonly dull and quiet journey for Scorpius, he couldn't stop worrying about Michael. Was he really not attending Hogwarts? Was it because he was a werewolf? Or was it because he genuinely hated magic now? Or was it because he was wrong, Jack and Michael had both done nothing and the abusive Bob had killed Michael? Or at least hurt him really badly so was in hospital? Or had something else hurt him really badly? Had he been attacked by the PAW werewolf haters? From the diminished conversation from the rest of them, Scorpius had a feeling that their thoughts walked the same lines. Maurice stared out the window the whole journey without speaking or looking back to them, Scorpius saw a glimpse of the scar around his wrist where his sleeve had fallen back. It was livid on his scarred flesh, black, blotchy and badly bruised - not bruised but it was how it looked - which was worrying. Scorpius hoped he was alright too. He was anxious and unhappy by the time they got there.

The Thestrals pulling the carriages cheered him up marginally as he was fond of the creatures, he felt drawn to them. His wand core came from Thestral tail hair too and his Patronus was a Thestral. The carriage journey was also quite quiet, as was the walk into the Great Hall. Scorpius was barely paying attention, his return to the castle was dampened by his concern for Michael and the horrifying thought of going through the year without him. He only looked up when Rose spoke.

"Mother of Merlin," Rose gasped as her jaw dropped, he followed her gaze and realized she was looking at Michael. Scorpius felt his heart sigh with relief to see his friend walking to the Gryffindor table, Michael finally seemed to have grown taller. Slightly, "Is it just me or did Michael suddenly get hot?"

"Just you," Corin commented.

"Definitely you," Vern agreed although they all looked relieved to see Michael like Scorpius, except Maurice whose expression remained neutral.

"What is wrong with you!?" Albus demanded of his cousin as they headed over to Michael seated at the end of the table, separating from Vern and Orous who were Hufflepuff.

"What?" Rose snapped back, "At least I'm not 'in love' with adult women old enough to be my mother. I'm just saying."

"What is wrong with that?! I can't help but falling in love with beautiful women, I'm only human."

"Hi Michael," Abby greeted their friend as they reached the end of the table, Michael looked up but didn't manage to muster a smile or seem pleased at all, "Hi strange child."

They tended to sit there since Maurice had to be on the end for his translator necklace to work to understand announcements from the Headmaster, as his friends they sat around him. Scorpius noticed that Michael was wearing a black wristband, the werewolf identification bracelets which was different but also that Michael wasn't alone. He was sitting with a boy opposite who was too young to be a student and wearing regular clothes, about eight if Scorpius remembered correctly. He had blue eyes and extremely dark auburn hair like his father, it was combed back neatly although his features resembled his mother more. He was Antonius Ashain, Professor Ashain's son, he was also petting a ferociously large dog who was drooling on his jeans and who Scorpius recognized as the dog that Calderon had had in his Second Year.

"Hey Michael, hey Tony," Scorpius greeted his favorite professor's son too, shocked none of them had managed to not notice Michael on the platform, train or carriages.

"I prefer Antonius now," Antonius mumbled quietly.

"Um okay, Antonius and not that it's not great to see you and all but... why are you here exactly?" Albus asked of the boy as they sat down.

"My mum left."

"So?" Rose wondered tactlessly, apparently not noticing how it made the little boy shifted uncomfortably and look upset.

"She didn't want us."

"So?"

"So we live with Dad only now and Dad lives in Hogwarts."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius offered gently and patted Antonius' back, feeling he should do something to offset how oblivious Rose had been to the fact she was upsetting him.

"It's okay. I wouldn't want me either," Antonius muttered so quietly that Scorpius didn't think the others heard. Antonius just hung his head and Scorpius glanced at the staff table to see the younger Cassia Ashain was sitting with her father, chatting happily away to him. He had to a double take because instead of a tangled mass of straw-colored hair, Cassia was near bold with only a few tufts remaining.

"What happened to your sister's hair?"

"She tried to cut it off," Michael answered for him, sounding almost bored, "The new Transfiguration professor stupidly commented she looked like her mother so she tried to shave her head to _not_ look like her mother. And before you say you're in love with her, Albus, wait until you've actually met her."

"How do you know all this?" Corin wondered in confusion and Michael merely shrugged.

"I stayed here for half the summer."


	6. IV: Sorting Out

_**Thanks to:** Winged-panther1, Aya Diefair and Lucfiersdaughter for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Wow is Vern gonna catch a break this year?_**  
_There is some good in store for Vern this year. But also some bad_

**_Michael and Abby maybe would be nice?_**  
_I've said it before and no, they're too similiar in personality and I think of them as having much more of a brother/sister relationship, they just wouldn't be/aren't attracted to each other_

**_What about the moms? _**  
_I am terribly sorry, for some reason half my answer vanished which is why there's just a full stop at the end of it. The moms are for the same reason plot and character. I know quite a few of my OCs have less than ideal homelife situations or parents and that is because I really wanted to show that its not always what you expect, like not everyone with a horrible past/family is necessarily a horrible person (example Michael) and not everyone with a good past/family is necessarily a good person (example James) and since the canon characters would've had good parents/pasts so the burden falls to be OCs. I love playing with nurture versus nature and playing with the similiarities and differences between characters and their parents/families (which is why so many have such in depth backstory)_

**_Wouldn't his parents demand that they see Scorpius?_**  
_Indeed they will_

**_Who else is Rose going to find hot lol? _**  
_Mostly Michael and Maurice, also Knight a minior character from the previous books_

* * *

"What? You stayed _here_ for half the summer?" Rose wondered incredulously.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Scorpius scowled and she threw him a dark look.

"Yep," Michael shrugged disinterestedly, "They let me stay because I'm a werewolf."

"Why?" Rose demanded.

"Why does it matter?"

"You didn't reply to any of our letters," Albus pointed out.

"Why bother? It's not like you could read my replies anyway."

"That's not true," Abby protested but Michael looked dubious.

"And even if it _was_," Albus added carefully, "It doesn't mean we wouldn't want to hear from you to know that you're okay, we were bloody worried mate."

"Al, don't swear in front of the child!"

"Oops I mean bloo...ooody...sum...num. It means... extra worried in teenager talk," Albus lied to which Antonius frowned in a very Ashain-like way.

"I'm eight, not an idiot," Antonius told him seriously but Albus spoke to him in a very patronizing way.

"Why are you sitting here again? Wouldn't you much rather sit up there in the super special area with your Dada and ickle baby sister?"

"No. I get a better view of the Sorting here, I want to see it."

"The Sorting? More like super boring. How about, if you go sit with your Dada in the super special area then I will give you a super special present. How about that, huh?" Albus continued and withdrew a Knut that he held out for Antonius to see, "Ooh, look at that. A super special shiny Knut, that's magic money. Wouldn't you like that, huh? Impress all your super special-"

"Can you please stop saying super special, they don't even sound like words anymore," Corin interrupted with a roll of his eyes, Antonius didn't look impressed.

"This is how you talk to the children."

"I pity your future children," Antonius commented and withdrew a coin himself, Scorpius recognized it as a muggle penny, "See this? This is a rare muggle coin, equivalent to _ten_ Galleons which is worth a lot more than a Knut. I'll give you this just to stop talking to me."

"Sold!" Albus agreed eagerly and snatched it from Antonius' hand, "Sweet. Cannot _wait_ to exchange this."

"Al..." Scorpius began, ready to point out that Antonius was wrong it was essentially valueless but he saw Antonius suppressing a small smile and realized that Antonius was very aware of that fact, he just wanted Albus to leave him be so he could watch the Sorting in peace.

"What?"

"Never mind."

Scorpius brushed it off and allowed his eyes to drift as Albus started bragging about how he had been practicing all summer and was definitely going to make the Quidditch team this year. He saw that the three legged stool was already there with the tattered old Sorting Hat atop it, he frowned as that wasn't usual. He glanced at the staff table, recognizing most of the teachers from last year. Professors Koray, Kresmir, Vipera - although she was looking rather down - and Oring were all still there, so was the Head Healer Marigold. Binns naturally wasn't there for being a ghost and neither was Professor Hagrid - he'd be taking the First Years over - but there was still a chair for him. Professor Longbottom was there as well although he did look markedly unhappy, Elina the blind Divination Professor was still there and so was the annoying Arithmancy Professor Rivers. He noticed Rivers now had a vertical scar going down his cheek, presumably from the attack and probably why he'd been avoid meals, he looked completely miserable as he tried to hide it with his hand. Professor Ashain was there as he'd already seen, talking to his daughter and Grant was unfortunately still there. Grant the Charms Professor who despised him and Michael although oddly, his right hand now looked like it was a prosthetic. Wooden, similar to Professor Longbottom's.

"What happened to Grant's hand?" Scorpius wondered in confusion to no one in particular.

"Rumor has it that during the attack on Hogsmeade, he attacked a certain professor with the Cruciatus Curse and demanded he stop the attack because he had the mistaken impression that he was a Shadow," Michael explained and Scorpius caught on he meant Professor Ashain, it would explain Grant's behavior at the end of last year and Scorpius felt a surge of anger towards Grant again, "But the professor's brother stopped him, he crippled Grant's wand hand beyond repair and broke the other one. Grant made the difficult decision to amputate it rather than have to re-learn with his left so now he has a new hand and a new least favorite person in the world."

"Serves him right," Scorpius muttered, annoyed that Grant wasn't rotting in jail for it. As much as he disliked Brutus Ashain on principle, he was rather glad for what Brutus had done at least.

"Wasn't that guy at your Aunt Fleur's wedding?" Abby asked, pointing to one who Scorpius didn't recognize. A sallow man with a small beard, burly eyebrows and a large curved nose. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Viktor Krum, he used to be an international Quidditch star for Bulgaria. He retired after a severe spinal injury, was a Flying Instructor in another magical school and is now our new Flying Instructor since Dunbrooke... died," Michael told him and Scorpius nodded as it clicked into place, "His wife was killed in a Shadow attack recently, he wanted a change of scenery so here he is."

"He's nicer in person than he looks from afar," Antonius added, "So is his daughter."

"Yeah, Grozda's great," Michael agreed with a hint of a smile, "She's in the year above us, she has to get Sorted too because she's transferring from the Bulgarian school. Amazing on a broom."

"_Grozda_," Albus chuckled and Michael frowned at him.

"Be nice, there's nothing wrong with her name."

"But _Grozda_."

"You are so immature," Abby complained with a roll of her eyes, "So who's Florian's replacement?"

"Her," Michael said and gestured to a woman that Scorpius didn't recognize, she was pretty with curly light brown and large brown eyes. Younger than he'd expected and Albus sighed dreamily, "Hypatia Ayn Midas."

"I think I'm in lo-"

"Dammit, Albus, I said wait until you meet her!"

"Fine but I refuse to believe a woman that beautiful can be anything other than an angel," Albus insisted still gazing at her, "Do you think she'd be impressed by my Flying skills."

"No," Michael and Antonius said in unison, Michael elaborated alone, "She doesn't consider broomsticks very safe and believes they should be banned for the best of the wizard population's health. She was appointed by the new Minister personally as he deems her trustworthy, she's the new Headmaster's cousin too you see."

"Oh."

"So who's the new Headmaster then?" Rose asked.

"Don't you recognize him?" Michael wondered.

Scorpius looked to see a youngish man in the Headmaster's chair, he had bright blond curls for hair that seemed kind of familiar but Scorpius would have recognized his face. Part of his was heavily scarred from a burn, it seemed to cut through his eye and widen on his cheek to carry through down his neck. He was trying to smile but the scarred side made it look distorted creepily, the other side had dimples though and the scarred eyelid was dropped semi-closed but the good eye was a blue so dark it seemed almost navy. Scorpius scowled, he was definitely getting a feeling of deja vu but he _knew_ he would recognize someone who looked like that.

"Silvanus Elwood," Michael told them when none spoke up, "The guy who was going to be Acting Headmaster in our Second Year before he was injured in that attack, he's an actual Headmaster now and the scars are a result of the attack."

"Oh _that_ guy," Albus complained, "I totally recognize random guys I never interacted with and barely remember and look completely different that I saw once two years ago."

"Look, they're arriving!" Antonius exclaimed almost excitedly and pointed to the entrance to the Great Hall.

Sure enough, the large Professor Hagrid entered with the cluster of frightened looking First Years following in his wake who gasped in amazement at the hall. The professor took his seat and Calderon - who, Scorpius realized, had held open the door - moved to the front of the crowd. Marius Calderon - which wasn't his real name - was the son of Bellatrix Lestrange, making him Scorpius' cousin to some degree and they were close. His job title was 'assistant' and he did a variety of things around Hogwarts, he was deemed mad or at the very least eccentric and was incredibly powerful, he didn't have a wand but he was capable of extraordinary things with wandless magic as Scorpius had seen on multiple occasions. Only the Shadow Master was known to be capable of such things as well, due to the extreme torturous techniques Death Eaters had used to try teach them magic.

Calderon didn't look any different, he was in his thirties with dark eyes and neat, short dark hair that contrasted with his incredibly pale skin. Despite being - presumably - a pure-blood, he dressed in muggle jeans, sneakers and a navy sweater which all had a worn look to them. He wore a silver dragon necklace that had been a gift from Scorpius and had two Tiwaz arrow rune scars visible on each palm, which was normal for him but something was off. It was only when he got closer that it hit him way, Calderon appeared agitated which wasn't like him. Scorpius threw him a wave and Calderon threw him one half-heartedly back, glancing to Elwood as if to make sure he hadn't seen.

"Elwood doesn't like Calderon," Michael explained, seemingly noticing what was on his mind, "He's convinced Calderon is trying to steal his job since Calderon was Acting Headmaster before, he doesn't like him to do things."

"It's not very pleasant," Antonius agreed before the conversation was silence by the singing of the Sorting Hat.

_"So here we are now_

_Back again, for another year_

_With many fresh faces_

_I wish we were gathered in cheer_

_But alas, it's not to be this time_

_For the world spins in shadow_

_War wages outside these walls_

_I sing my song in sorrow_

_This school was born years ago_

_With intentions pure and good_

_Founded by the best of friends_

_But soon clashed misunderstood_

_And so the best of reasons_

_Became tainted by the fight_

_I wish it were the last time_

_But conflict reigned since that night_

_Descended from one_

_But hated by all_

_The Darkest of Lords fought_

_And died within this hall_

_From the purest of hearts_

_Can come the most blinding of light_

_But do well to remember_

_It can also sire the darkest night_

_From the cruelest of hearts_

_Can come the blackest of night_

_But do well to remember_

_It can also create the purest of light_

_While the past has sheer relevance_

_It matters more where you are_

_The choices you make now_

_Is what decides the future."_

The hall burst into applause but it was more on instant and starting more uncertainly than the previous time Scorpius had been there, the song was noticeable darker in tone and it didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Those used it and the nervous First Years seemed even more anxious, although those from wizarding families would know of the Shadow War already so it would be more understandable. He felt a stab of pity for those from muggle families, they were dragged into this world from their happy muggle lives in the midst of a dangerous war.

"Well that song sucked," Albus muttered.

"When I call out your name, come forward and sit on this stool. I will then place the Sorting Hat on your head and it will decide your house, go towards the applauding house and join your new housemates," Calderon said to the First Years, speaking slowly and sounding almost mechanical as if he was saying something he'd memorized off a speech or was reciting something he'd rehearsed. He glanced to Elwood as he spoke, the man gave him a thumbs up, "But first, we have a special student who is joining us all the way from the Durmstrang Institute. She will be joining those in Fifth Year but still must be sorted so would Grozda Krum please step forward."

"Elwood had Calderon practice this, it was the only way he'd let him do it," Michael told him tiredly as a girl moved through the crowd of younger students, "He had to rehearse speaking slower because apparently he talks too fast and only say the words on the cards Elwood had him learn, less flashy magic too."

"Liking that guy more already," Scorpius muttered sarcastically as the girl waved with a smile to Michael and Antonius - who waved back - before sitting on the stool, Calderon gestured and the hat slowly raised and lowered onto her head.

Grozda was tall and thin like her father with the same sallow complexion, her hair and eyes were dark too although hers was very bushy and tied back. She had a much more feminine face than her father though, also and lacking his rather obtuse nose. She had a serious expression like her father as well, fierce but he supposed she mustn't be that bad if she'd waved.

"_SLYTHERIN!_" the hat cried and Grozda trudged over to the applauding table while Calderon started calling the names for the actual First Years.

Scorpius tried very hard not to find it boring but... well it was boring watching the younger students get sorted, he clapped when he had to and frequently was greeted by the new students from sitting right near the end with Maurice but it wasn't the most enjoyable thing in the world. They hadn't had breakfast either and his concern for Michael had prevented him from getting any sweets on the train so he hadn't eaten, he was pretty hungry. He was dying to talk to Michael alone - and Maurice too for that matter, about his abduction - and give him his gift but couldn't until the Sorting was over. Calderon seemed to have been resigned to lowering and raising the Hat without any colors or lights so it wasn't even visually interesting in that respect. His ears pricked up when he heard a name he recognized being called.

"Knight, Byron!"

Knight was a Slytherin boy in their year, Scorpius didn't know his first name but it was marginally more interesting than watching strangers be sorted. If Scorpius had to guess, he was sure Byron lived in Hogsmeade because he had scars from his cheek and down his neck from werewolf claws. It wasn't that unusual, several of the First Years and the older students were sporting scars from the ordeal. He had shoulder-length brown hair and warm brown eyes, he smiled broadly as his name was called and tried to rush forwards but fell flat on his face. The majority of the hall laughed as Calderon helped the boy up, Byron seemed unfazed but he did walk oddly slowly like there was something wrong with his legs. He sat on the stool and his smile returned, not looking nervous like most. It didn't take too long for the Hat to decide.

_"SLYTHERIN!"_

Byron beamed at having gotten the same house as his - presumably - brother or possibly some other relative, Byron again tried to move quickly and fell again which resulted in more laughter. Scorpius noticed James Potter and his friends laughing particularly hard but apparently he didn't want to risk losing more points by calling out, since Calderon had deducted them before for it. Calderon went to help him up again, Byron did look slightly embarrassed that time before moving more slowly over to the Slytherin table. Scorpius noted the applause had stopped already, Slytherin apparently less eager for someone who'd tripped over nothing. Twice. Scorpius still thought he walked oddly, maybe there was something wrong with his legs.

"Koray, Pollux!"

Scorpius sat up straighter at hearing another name he knew, Professor Koray was the Astronomy Professor and Scorpius noticed the professor sit up as well as he watched with barely contained glee. He also noticed Professor Longbottom had his head in his hands. Pollux had shorter hair than his father, it was also darker but he had the same tinge of olive skin and deep blue eyes. He was somewhat nervous as he sat down, the Hat seemed to take a bit of time to decide as well.

_"RAVENCLAW!"_

Pollux grinned happily at getting his father's house, bouncing down from the school and joining his house. Professor Koray clapped harder than the rest and looked overwhelmed with pride, excitedly turning to those closest to him to tell them his son made Ravenclaw. Even though they had all just witnessed it.

"What do you think would happen if you got the wrong house?" Antonius asked worriedly.

"You can't get a wrong house," Rose pointed out briskly as the Sorting moved on.

"Astor's is Head of Ravenclaw and was a Ravenclaw himself, he wanted his son to get Ravenclaw and Pollux just got it. Hagrid was a Gryffindor, he wanted his son to get Gryffindor and Corin got Gryffindor. Grant was a Gryffindor, he wanted his kids to be in Gryffindor and they were. So parents want their kids to be in the same house as them, right?"

"That's right, well done!" Albus offered extremely patronizingly again, Antonius rolled his eyes.

"So what if you get a different house to your parents? What if I don't get Ravenclaw and my Dad hates me?"

"Ah well you don't have to worry about that for a gazillion years, we'll be long gone by the time you're finally old enough."

"My first year will be your last, it's not _that_ long away."

"Houses don't matter," Scorpius offered consolingly as Michael opened his mouth to do the same, "Professor Ashain is a great man, he'll love you no matter what house you get put in."

"Well that's good," Antonius nodded looking relieved, "And good for Cassia too. Grant always says she's a future Slytherin."

The conversation ended they went through further string of names that Scorpius didn't know, he was really starving. Why couldn't they just carry on the Sorting while there was still good on the table? Surely everyone else was just as hungry as he was, including the First Years.

"Pentakel, Terra!"

Scorpius' attention drifted back to the name called, he recognized the last name again. Sequoia Pentakel was the Ravenclaw Seeker in the year above him, Scorpius knew him vaguely from the pitch and Pentakel had always come across as nice. There was another Pentakel in the year below him, he forgot her name but she'd been a good duelist and then Mirra Pentakel was in Molly's year, a Hufflepuff prefect who'd helped Michael with his work last year when he was injured. He knew none of them well but it was still marginally more interesting, Terra had blond hair but the same sharp blue eyes as the others and she didn't seem nervous either although the Hat took its time.

_"RAVENCLAW!"_

She grinned at the Hat's declaration and practically ran to the Ravenclaw table, Sequoia was there to greet her and Scorpius realized he had two shiny badges on his robes. Had he made Prefect and Quidditch Captain? Scorpius wasn't sure from the distance but a potential Captainship was worrying, he'd make Ravenclaw a force to be reckoned with. Or maybe not, he'd been severely injured in the Hogsmeade attack - Scorpius and Varanian had saved his life - and while recovered, he was badly scarred. His face and hands were covered in crisscrossing scars, worse than Latimer and they hadn't missed his eyes, one was very milky looking now. There was nothing else of note as the Sorting continued, no other names until finally Reshim Zekron made Ravenclaw and then the new Headmaster stood.

"Greetings everyone! Welcome to or back to Hogwarts," Elwood offered brightly but his smile wavered for a moment as he eyed the door fearfully as if expecting an attack, Scorpius supposed he couldn't blame him since the last time Elwood had tried to address the school, there had been an attack. Nothing happened though which seemed to relieve the new Headmaster greatly, "I'm sure we're all very hungry so I'll keep this brief. To new students, you should be aware that the Forbidden Forest in forbidden and older students should remember that as well. Quidditch tryouts will be held the second week of term, Quidditch Captains are to book the pitch and arrange the times with our new Flying Instructor before then and put up a notice in the Common Room for those wishing to try out.

"As most of you know and a few of you may not, the previous Flying Instructor died tragically and we are sad to see him go but very glad to welcome our new Flying Instructor. An international Quidditch Champion and a former Triwizard Champion, Viktor Krum!" Elwood sounded almost excited by this as he gestured to Krum, the man stood and waved once as the school roared with applause, Krum sat back down quickly as if he didn't like the attention, "We are very lucky to have such a talented and experienced teacher and I hope you'll all give him a warm welcome. We are also welcoming a new professor as a replacement for the previous Transfiguration Professor who is now a known Shadow. Everyone give a warm welcome to my esteemed cousin, Hypatia Ayn Midas!" Elwood gestured to his cousin as the woman stood to wave, the applause was notably less and the older students especially were wary. Her predecessor had turned out to be a maniac after all who had killed the Headmistress, the Flying Instructor, a student and tried to kill plenty more.

"The only other new member of staff is myself of course, Silvanus Elwood and I am taking over from the previous Head who also tragically died. It is a loss to the Wizarding world and Minerva McGonagall will be greatly missed, I know I cannot truly replace her but I indeed to do my best to serve this school and by extension its pupils for what is a school without its students? You have all been unfortunate these past few years, with the tragedy of McGonagall's death last year, the lack of structure the year prior with the Triwizard Tournament taking the Headmistress away and of course the years with a known Shadow criminal Varanian-"

"Varanian's innocent!" a voice called out and Elwood froze in shock as did everyone else, Lorcan was the one who'd spoken. It would be Lorcan, "Don't insult him."

"My boy, Varanian is a wanted fugitive of the Ministry of Magic. It is not an insult but a fact and if you could refrain from interrupting then that would be most helpful."

"He's a hero and they're wrong about him!" Lorcan protested fiercely.

"And that swiftly moves me back to what I was saying," Elwood continued with a more severe look, "Many of you have been under a great deal of stress, a great deal of trauma and a great deal of misinformation. The Shadow War rages. Which is why for your benefit, there will be mandatory counselling sessions for all students - and staff - to help you in your time of need. If you are alright then it need not be long and for those who need more help, it is available as we at the Ministry believe that your mental wellbeing is just as important as your studies. More detail on this is to come and in the meantime, please enjoy this magnificent feast."

"What does he think? That we're weak?" Scorpius demanded immediately as his guard shot up.

"There's an ulterior motive," Maurice commented, speaking for what might've been the first time since on the platform but he didn't bother putting his hand on his necklace to translate, apparently just vocalizing his thoughts and not wanting to talk, "There has to be. Probably just after information."

Scorpius fell quiet, eating the food he was no longer hungry for and mulling over the situation. It took him awhile to notice that Michael too was withdrawn, he looked exhausted and didn't even attempt to be cheerful or keep the conversation going or anything as he usually die. If he did talk, it was mostly to Antonius. He was full and ready for bed by the time the meal was over, grateful when they could finally bid Antonius goodbye head back up to Gryffindor Tower. Scorpius didn't think he'd ever been happier to see that Common Room.

He did still want to talk to Michael though so after he was ready for bed, he reopened his drapes to see if Michael would stay up later than the others. The other two they shared the room with were Angelo Jordan and Reuben Tear, Scorpius noticed seemed to deliberately try to avoid Michael in the room. They went to sleep quickly though, as did Albus. Michael lay awake though.

"Michael, are you awake?" Scorpius asked, already knowing the answer as he watched his friend lying on his back. Michael sighed heavily and rolled onto his side to face him.

"Yep. Bet you're wondering what happened with Bob? Although I don't know why since you squealed to Jack anyway," Michael commented said tiredly.

"I told him not to do anything until tomorrow, I'm sorry. I was just worried about you an-"

"It's fine. I don't care anymore," Michael interrupted dismissively, "I went and told Mr Potter - just like I _told_ you I would - the next day. When he came to arrest Bob, Jack was beating the crap out of him. They arrested Bob, threw him in a jail cell somewhere. Stress of it all wrecked what's left of Crystal's heart, she went to hospital, the little ones went to live with Bob's mother and I got landed with Jack. I ran away the full moon in August, used my werewolfness to my advantage because I couldn't stay there. Been here since."

"Was it really that bad living with Jack?" Scorpius wondered and Michael just shrugged, "I'm sorry about your mum, will she-"

"I said its fine. She'll be okay when they get around to doing this operation she needs, she'll get the little ones back and they live happily ever after."

"What about you?"

"They're safer away from me. I'm a werewolf, Scorpius, didn't you see the bracelet of death?" Michael quipped and gestured to the black bracelet before his expression became one of dread, "Tomorrow's the full moon."

"That reminds me, I got something for you," Scorpius remembered and hastily searched the pockets of his robes for the friendship bracelet, Michael sat up and Scorpius sat down beside him as he tied it onto Michael's wrist, "I'm sorry I couldn't get you a nicer present, I kinda couldn't go into the Wizarding World because I was running from my family and I don't know what muggle thing would be good so I... I made you this. It's a friendship bracelet, I know it's kind of childish but... so what? You're the first best friend I ever really had and after everything we've been through, it doesn't matter that you're a werewolf. You're still you and you're still my friend... You don't have to wear it if you don't want, I'm sorry it's not cooler or better made but Happy Birthday for yesterday."

"Thanks," Michael offered quietly as he gazed down at the bracelet, "It's great, I never had a friendship bracelet before."

"You're welcome," Scorpius told him before Michael hugged him, "You alright?"

"Yeah," Michael said as he hastily pulled away and wiped his eyes before looking back to him, the ghost of a smile on his face for the first time that Scorpius had seen since he'd been turned. Scorpius also realized for the first time that the iris of Michael's prosthetic eye was now golden, "Alright as I can be anyway. So what is this about you running away from your family?"


	7. IV: Good Start

_**Thanks so much to:** Guest reviewer, Lucifersdaughter, Winged-panther1, Leandriel-Whitestorm and Aya Diefair for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Remind me of the headmaster Elwood, I can't remember a thing about him_**  
_I know its not exactly a question but since you asked, he appeared very briefly in book 2 when McGonagall was in Beauxbatons for the Triwizard Tournament and he was supposed to be Acting Headmaster but he was badly injured in the attack which is why Calderon became Acting Headmaster instead. He literally says like a sentance after the Sorting before the attack happens but it doesn't actually matter you don't remember him, didn't expect/need people to anyway_

**_When will Annie appear?_**  
_Christmas break for definite, she may appear before then if I do a bit with Jack but if not then Christmas break. She is definitely in it, I promise, she just doesn't get out of jail until November so she'll only be in it after that_

**_Will Maurice keep staying with Orous?_**  
_For the moment yeah_

**_If he doesnt give up will Michael see and forgive him(Jack)?_**  
_I'm sorry, I can't really answer that especially in the wake of Jack merging his soul with One the Specter. You will just have to wait and see what happens with Jack, I'm afraid_

* * *

It was late by the time he'd finished filling Michael in on everything but Michael seemed more his usual self than at dinner, at least he seemed to be paying attention instead of being lost in his own mind. Scorpius wasn't bothered by the lateness though, he'd missed his friend and sleep could wait. It didn't take him long to fall asleep anyway, he seemed to blink and it was already day. Michael was already up and gone down to breakfast already, Scorpius found himself in a good mood, looking forward to getting back into classes and being with his friends again. Although Albus didn't share his cheer after Scorpius had finally managed to get him up.

"I don't see why we have to get up so early," Albus yawned as he trudged down the Grand Staircase with Scorpius, "And today's Friday, they could've given us the day off to ease us back into it. And for classes, why does there have to be so much work?"

"I like it," Scorpius admitted truthfully.

"And you're weird for it. I hope we have few classes and lots of breaks today. Oh and Transfiguration, love to get to know that new drop dead gorgeous professor better."

"You have a problem."

"You're just jealous of the bond of we share," Albus told him dreamily, now seemingly awake as they joined everyone else at the Gryffindor table. Scorpius was doubtful they'd get to eat anything as Albus had taken so long to drag himself out of bed.

"You haven't even met her yet," Scorpius pointed out incredulously.

"And that's proof of the depth of the bonds of love that bind our souls."

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"Seriously, Al, what is wrong with you?" Rose complained with a shake of her head before seeming to notice something, Scorpius followed her gaze to see she was watching Calderon hand out the class schedules, "Look its Calderon."

"Oh, did he suddenly get hot too?! Now who has a problem?!" Albus told her triumphantly.

"Firstly, he's always been attractive and I've never obsessed over him. Secondly, I meant more that he's handing out schedules and I want to know what I have. I hope Transfiguration."

"Get your own soul-mate professor!"

"I meant for the lesson content! Who knows what we missed with Florian?"

"Well good because she's mine."

"You two are despicable," Maurice pointed out with a look of disgust, "Romantic relationships are wrong. It only ends badly, it's a waste of time and quite frankly, it's disgusting."

"One of these days, you're going to hit puberty and you're going to eat those words," Albus with a smirk and Maurice threw him a dark look.

"Here are your schedules," Calderon announced brightly as he started handing them out.

"Hey Calderon, how are you?" Scorpius greeted his cousin brightly while the others skimmed the schedules.

"I shouldn't complain," Calderon told him carefully with another glance at the Headmaster, "You? I hear you ran away, Scor."

"I'm alright now."

"Calderon, I think there's some kind of mistake," Maurice spoke up with a bemused expression, "This says I have Flying lessons on Wednesdays."

"Because you do," Calderon admitted, "You went to Eben at the end of last year wanting to improve your basic broom skills, he pleaded with me to let you have classes next year because a few weeks wouldn't have been enough and he really wanted to help you. It was the last thing he ever asked of me so I wanted to see it through and eventually got Elwood to agree, I worked out all the schedules around it. Pleased much?"

"Merlin's ass, damn. You get to be taught to fly by a Quidditch champion," Albus complained.

"I-I didn't..." Maurice stammered out uncharacteristically as Calderon looked confused, Maurice had only done that as a distraction and in truth disliked Flying and had no desire to improve but he sighed, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Got to finish handing these out," Calderon admitted, "See you later."

"Bye," Scorpius offered as Calderon went away to continue handing the last few out. Maurice groaned, "Why didn't you just tell him you didn't really want Flying lessons?"

"After they went through all that trouble?" Maurice sighed and shook his head.

"How very human of you, Maurice," Rose commented, looking impressed but Maurice seemed to take it the wrong way as he looked upset.

"I am human, okay? I am."

"She didn't mean-" Corin started to say but stopped as the bell for first classes began, "Well there's the bell. We have Arithmancy, au revoir."

"What do we have?" Scorpius asked as everyone started filing out of the Great Hall for the start of lessons.

"Charms," Rose answered and Scorpius groaned, no longer looking forward to it.

"Great, Grant is the first lesson back."

Scorpius' good mood wavered as they made it to Charms, he skimmed his schedule to reassure himself and saw - to his relief - that there were other good lessons that day. After Charms they had a break before double Care of Magical Creatures, they also had Herbology after lunch which were both classes he generally liked even if they weren't his favorites. He actually did have his favorites, Defense Against the Dark Arts was his last class so if nothing else they had that. There was Transfiguration too but he wasn't sure what to expect with the new teacher, he hoped she wouldn't ruin the class for him like Grant had ruined Charms.

Grant hadn't changed, he was tall and robust with beady eyes and hair that still hadn't made up its mind whether it was gray or white. Except for his new hand anyway. He started a lengthy explanation on how everything they did now was getting ready to prepare them for OWLs next year, how Charms was an important subject and they should try especially hard in it. Scorpius and his friends had taken their usual seats in the corner but he noticed that oddly, the other Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs seemed to be sitting as far away as possible. He couldn't say anything though as Grant was still talking, finally moving on to how they would be learning the Summoning Charm. Since it was only a single but they had a double on Monday, they were doing theory and would have a large amount of homework on it for the weekend. It took Scorpius awhile to notice that something else was off, Michael wasn't taking notes like he usually did. He said as much when Grant was finally done.

"What's the point?" Michael wondered as he rubbed his head, Scorpius noticed for the first time that Michael was looking kind of ill, "Not like it matters, I was always going to fail this subject anyway. I'm terrible at practical because I'm a lousy wizard and terrible at written because I'm Dyslexic, Grant hates me so he never cuts me a shred of slack either."

"That's not true, you were doing so well," Rose protested.

"No, you were all right. I'm too stupid to take on four subjects plus the core subjects, was just failing them all."

"That's absolutely not true! You were doing great, you were succeeding and-"

"All Mirra. I'm going to fail. Especially now I'll have to miss classes to recover from transformations, if I'm behind anyway then I can't catch up. I already feel ill and it hasn't even happened yet."

"Sanford," Grant said as he strode over, Michael sighed and Scorpius was sure he was about to tell them off for talking while working but his expression was something akin to sympathy, "I know it's the full moon tonight, I know your strength will vary from month to month so just do as much of the work you feel able to today. And don't worry about the essay, you can have a week to do that starting from the next Charms class you can attend. Is that alright?"

"Sure," Michael shrugged and rubbed his eyes again.

"If you need to go and rest then you can as well," Grant offered, sounding disturbingly sincere and Michael merely nodded but continued with his work. Grant eyed Scorpius' own, "Good start, Malfoy."

"Seriously?" Scorpius wondered dubiously with a raised eyebrow, Grant always said his name with malice and never said anything remotely resembling a compliment unless it was so begrudging that it was like pulling a hair from within a stone.

"Yes, I look forward to reading your essay," Grant confirmed before moving on and Scorpius was left in bewilderment.

"Did he hit his head?"

"Brutus crippled both his hands in the attack, meaning he couldn't use his wand, meaning he would've been a sitting duck to the werewolves. Ashain saved his life and got him to the caves, even after Grant apparently tortured him. Maybe it finally made him realize not to make such harsh judgments on people based on their families and not themselves," Abby explained.

"I still don't like him," Scorpius insisted, "I don't believe he's changed and even if he has, he still hurt Professor Ashain. He's a good person and he's been through enough without being tortured."

"Your loyalty is strange and admirable," Albus offered, "But you're overreacting, it's not that big of a deal. Ashain's probably used it from being an Auror."

"Albus, I've actually had the Cruciatus Curse used on me. Several times," Michael pointed out, "There's a reason it's unforgivable, you don't get used to it. It still hurts."

"Yeah but Ashain's an adult."

"Adults can still feel pain," Rose agreed with a glowering look to her cousin.

The conversation dwindled as they focused on their work, much to Albus' dislike as he grunted repeatedly in exasperation at having to work. Michael alone didn't seem to do much, whether because of his apparent new attitude or the full moon, Scorpius wasn't sure. After that, they spent their break carrying on with it while Michael said he wanted to lie down for a bit before the next lesson plus he needed to take his Wolfsbane. Scorpius reluctantly bade his friend goodbye until the next class, he rejoined them as they gathered in the grounds in the biting wind for Professor Hagrid's class. Scorpius noticed again, that the others in the class seemed to be standing well back away from them.

"All right', welcome back everyone!" Professor Hagrid greeted them brightly, standing beside two huge crates, "Go' a real treat fer yeh t' start us off t' a good year an- Yes, Elm?"

"Are we going to be studying werewolves?" a boy who Scorpius didn't know but vaguely recognized as someone in their year and class who he'd never spoken to before, "Since there's one of those things in this class and tonight is a full moon at all. I think it'd be rather interesting to see the creature up close so we can fight them better next time, we could tie it on a leash and wait for it to turn or whatever."

"Hey!" Scorpius snapped before he could stop himself, "Don't speak about my friend like that!"

"It's hardly my fault that that _thing_," the boy said and eyed Michael with a look of disgust as he said it, "Is allowed to move among us when it belongs locked up with the rest of its filthy kind."

Scorpius felt anger flash through him that someone could even think of Michael as a 'thing', he was still a person. His wand was in his hand before he realized it, curses dancing on his lips as his burning anger begged him to hurt him as bad as he could. Professor Hagrid stepped in though, snatching his wand from his hand before he could curse the boy. The boy who was too stupid to draw his wand in self-defense.

"We'll 'ave none o' that now. I very rarely give detentions but Elm, yeh earned that. We don' talk abou' our classmates like tha' an' we don' talk about werewolves like that either, tha' is the wrong kind of attitude," Professor Hagrid announced, sounding unusually severe, "An' Scorpius, we don' duel each other either. Do yeh both understand?"

"Yes," Scorpius agreed, his anger still pulsed in his heart but at the very least, he knew it was pointless to duel someone in front of a teacher in a class. Professor Hagrid handed him back his wand as the other boy said yes too, he shuffled back over to the crates while Scorpius pocketed his wand.

"I bet the staff has to be nice to those creatures for the sake of politeness but we all know those things are worse than any of the animals we learn about here," the boy said to the other students.

Scorpius would've drawn his wand again but Albus was faster and closer, the boy had Albus' fist slammed into his face almost as soon as he was done speaking. The other boy threw a far off punch before Albus tackled him to the ground and started pummeling the smaller boy. Professor Hagrid's cry for it to stop fell unheard and he was forced to physically pull Albus off the boy, who tried to hit Albus back while stuck in the professor's grip which forced the half-giant to put himself between them.

"I SAY THA'S ENOUGH!" Professor Hagrid boomed, "Elm, ge' ou' of my class. Get yerself seen to an' don' come back 'til we've talked about this!"

"Doesn't he get a detention, he attacked me!" the boy protested, looking rather pitiful with blood dribbling from his nose.

"Never yeh mind abou' him," Professor Hagrid said and the boy trudged off unhappily.

"Yeah, you better run, you bastard!" Albus yelled furiously.

"Enough outta yeh as well, Al! Anyone else want to cause trouble then get outta here right now, if yeh staying then I expect yeh to behave and be civil!"

"Fine."

"And... well, he is right. I do have to give yeh a detention, I'm afraid. It wouldn' be fair else."

"Fine."

"Alright," Professor Hagrid stated, seeming to have lost his cheer but the class was now silent as he let go of Albus finally and moved back to the crates, "Today we'll be lookin' at Nifflers."

Professor Hagrid's usual cheerfulness was slow to return as he talked about the treasure-digging creatures to the very silent class, Scorpius stood beside Michael who had now hung his head very low. He tried to listen but he couldn't focus, were people really that prejudiced against werewolves? Michael was just fourteen, he had only turned three times even and the only people he'd hurt were other werewolves. It really bothered Scorpius and now he was bothering to pay attention, he saw most of the class threw dirty looks in Michael's direction.

Apparently Professor Hagrid had put Leprechaun gold around and they had to pick their Nifflers, the one who found the most gold got some chocolate, he warned them to put away any shiny things first though. The class went over to the crates to choose their creature and get started after pocketing any jewelry or watches or things like that, Scorpius himself decided his rings were safer in his pocket. As they went to go over there though, Professor Hagrid stopped Michael.

"Are yeh alright, Michael?" Professor Hagrid asked gently with genuine concern and Michael nodded mutely, "Yeh can go rest a bit if yeh need to an' I'm sorry abou' him, some people are jus' ridiculous like that 'specially after what happened at Hogsmeade. Don' let it get to yeh, eh?"

"It's okay," Michael muttered still quietly.

"Alrigh' and jus' so yeh warned, it may be best fer yeh to wait until the others have picked so I can help yeh get one. They have a good sense o' smell an' well... yeh being a werewolf might get t' them, it should be okay if we jus' do it careful an' they see yeh are not danger-"

"Actually, I think I will lie down," Michael interrupted, "Sorry, Hagrid."

"It's alrigh', we can catch yeh up later on," Professor Hagrid offered kindly but Scorpius had a feeling that Michael's wish to leave had more to do with the Nifflers possibly having a problem with him being a werewolf than from feeling unwell.

"See you guys later."

"Do people really still think like that, Hagrid?" Rose asked with concern as Michael left, "Aren't there supposed to be laws and things to make it fairer for werewolves?"

"There are bu' tha' don' stop people feeling how they're feeling, folks are scared from the Shadows an' the attacks with werewolves an' all. Fear makes people act rashly an' tha' ruddy Helmut's not helpin' with all his anti-werewolf nonsense."

"People suck," Scorpius complained as he moved past to get his Niffler.

Scorpius soon realized that maybe waiting to choose last hadn't been a great idea, all the good Nifflers were gone and he had the runt. All his Niffler seemed to want to do was sleep or nuzzle him, he needn't have bothered hiding his rings. He wound up just sitting on the grass with his Niffler using his legs for a pillow, stroking the sleeping creature and watching the others with their own Nifflers. Rose and Albus' was also quite lax although at least seemed marginally interested in sniffling the ground, Albus was trying very hard to make his be more enthusiastic by telling it to dig repeatedly and excitedly as he patted the ground himself. Abby's was the opposite, overly enthusiastic and kept knocking her over in its attempts to find gold.

It would actually have been quite a fun lesson without the taint of the starting incident and Michael having left. And possibly a more energetic Niffler. The winner won a slab of chocolate but it was some girl that Scorpius didn't know, after that they headed to lunch. Michael was already there, Corin and Maurice were just joining him when they got into the Great Hall.

"How was your day so far?" Corin asked his girlfriend enthusiastically as they sat as Abby filled him in, Scorpius noticed that Michael had an empty plate and Maurice was again not bothering to listen to the conversation, "My day? Pretty good actually, had Charms and Herbology which is the classes we have with Vern and Orous even though Grant's a dick. First thing was Arithmancy though, Rivers dismissed us early because someone pointed out the scar on his face and he ran off crying."

"He sucks," Albus laughed.

"Wonder if we'll still have Arithmancy later then," Abby mused thoughtfully, "It's supposed to be after Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Scorpius prompted of Michael.

"Not hungry," Michael muttered and pushed the plate away.

"What's with Maurice not paying attention to us?" Rose scowled as she'd opened her mouth to say something to Maurice but he wasn't even looking at them.

"Orous says he's been withdrawn like that since he got back, he didn't pay much attention to us in class either," Corin admitted worriedly.

"Maybe those counselling sessions will be good for him."

"Not likely," Scorpius scoffed feeling his blood boil again, how dare they think he was weak?! After everything he'd done, he was not a weak little child anymore. He bet it was his parent's idea.

He couldn't coax Michael to eat anything or successfully draw Maurice into conversation, Scorpius wanted to ask him what was bothering but he didn't think it was the best time. After lunch they headed down to the greenhouses for Herbology while Maurice and Corin headed off to Transfiguration, he couldn't help but notice now that random people were throwing Michael - and by extension, Scorpius and his friends - dirty looks as well. Herbology was surprisingly disappointing, Professor Longbottom had them revising what they'd done the previous year and seemed completely lacking in his usual enthusiasm and good humor. Scorpius understood why, the loss of a child was a hard thing to cope with, he could still remember his parents after losing Lyra... He felt a painful twinge in his heart, they'd soon all be going through that again when his new baby sister died.

It was just a single lesson for Herbology so it wasn't long before they were on their way to Transfiguration with the new professor, Midas. His friends were divided over this, Albus looked eager - Scorpius suspected solely because of her appearance - while Michael looked positively unenthusiastic. The girls were more indifferent along with Scorpius, just waiting to see how the class played out. They went to sit down but to his surprise, they were approached by the new professor, Albus grinned from ear to ear.

"Now, Michael, you can't sit there," Midas told him, her voice was so high-pitched it was practically a squeak. She gestured to a single chair and small lone table in front of all the others that was wedged in the corner, it hadn't been there when Florian or Professor McGonagall had taught the subject, "That's your sit, steps must be taken to make it better for your condition."

"Because he's a werewolf?" Albus wondered in confusion.

"No, no, you mistake me," Midas pointed out hastily and laughed nervously, a squeaky little laugh, "That would be discrimination which of course, we at the Ministry don't condone. No, this is simply to make it easier for him to learn with his Dysthessia just like I also put a poor young boy who suffers from lack of hearing there too."

"It's Dyslexia," Michael corrected.

"Yes, yes, of course."

"Can we at least sit with him?" Scorpius asked with a frown as Michael stood to move.

"No, no, now that would impede the point of having him sequestered against distractions and to have a more personalized learning plan. I'm sure you mean will but it's better for Michael that he's alone."

"I disagree," Scorpius grumbled as she led Michael over to the lone table, "Stupid teacher."

"Maybe she is just trying to help him," Albus offered defensively and Scorpius simply threw him a dark look.

"Alright class, welcome to Fourth Year Transfiguration with me, I am Professor Midas," she introduced herself to the class when they'd all arrived, she frowned at something momentarily. Quickly, she moved over to Michael and pulled his sleeve all the way down to his elbow to make his black bracelet even more obvious before smiling content and returning to stand in the center, "The last two years your education for this subject has been in the hands of a criminal and probably not the best so for the first term at least, we will be going over the work you covered in the past two years so let's begin."

It was easily the most grueling double Transfiguration lesson that Scorpius could ever recall having. Midas spoke to them in a slow patronizing tone as she went through things they'd already covered and that Scorpius already knew, talking amongst themselves was also not allowed and they had to write it all down. As much as he despised Florian, he couldn't help but feel he preferred those classes. From the general atmosphere of boredom, he thought the class felt the same. Florian had always made the lessons fun somehow and for some reason. Why had a psychotic maniac made his classes fun anyway?

Scorpius was more than happy for the class to be over and to head on over to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Ashain wouldn't let him down. There was no way that his now sole favorite class could be ruined, especially not by his favorite professor.

"You're quiet, Al," Abby pointed out as they walked, "No more comments about how wonderful Midas is?"

"I think my mind is dead," Albus groaned, "And I think there's something wrong with my wrist from writing so much. And what is up with not letting us talk? Or sit together?"

"Mother of Merlin," Rose gasped and they followed her gaze again, seeing she was looking at a Slytherin boy waiting for Defense Against the Dark Arts with them, Knight, "Is it just me or did Kenelm suddenly get hot?"

"Is it just me or did you suddenly lose your mind?!" Albus complained and his cousin scowled at him, "Honestly, Rose, what the hell!?"

"Better than falling in love with a different woman old enough to be your mother!"

"Times like this, I'm really glad I have a boyfriend," Abby commented with a roll of her eyes.

"Wait, Knight's first name is Kenelm?" Scorpius realized.

They went into the classroom and took their usual seats at the front but Scorpius was surprised to see a difference, the professor had put a desk in the corner at the front away from the others. It wasn't for Michael though, Antonius and Cassia were sitting at it. Both writing as if they were getting on with work they'd been given, Scorpius supposed they might be. After all they still needed to learn things before Hogwarts such as reading and writing, they didn't have a muggle school or tutors so Professor Ashain would have to teach them.

"Alright class, welcome back," Professor Ashain said as soon as he had their attention, he was standing in the front of the class and hadn't changed much. He had dark chestnut brown eyes and an extremely dark shade of auburn for his hair, it was brushed back but not as neatly as it used to be. Instead of a beard now, he instead just had stubble and despite being in his mid-forties now, he looked about ten years younger. While his children wore muggle clothes, the professor wore fine wizard robes, "Now I could go on about how this is an important year, the last year before OWLs et cetera and I could recap what we covered last year briefly but I'm not. To start the year off, I want you to get right back into it since you'll undoubtedly be rusty after the summer.

"Today we'll start learning a very important and a very useful spell, this spell is used frequently in duels and in one of the most important spells at a duelist's arsenal. It's also one of the most important defensive spells I'll teach you, which is why I want to get started on it early and we'll spend a lot of time on it. Considering the state of the world, it may very well save your life someday so you'll do well to pay attention," Professor Ashain continued but he needn't have said that, his lessons had already saved people's lives in Hogsmeade. After the events of last year, everyone was paying apt attention in case another situation when they needed to defend themselves arose. Scorpius also realized that Cassia had stopped what she was doing, listening to her father's speech enthralled instead and Antonius' writing speed had also decreased, "I'm talking about the Stunning Spell, commonly referred to as a stunner. The incantation is _Stupefy_ and the wand movement is very simple, making it much faster to use because speed is everything. If you're being attacked, it doesn't matter how much you know if you're not fast enough to use it in time."

He went on to demonstrate it and had them practice both the incantation and wand movement, he also had them learn the Reviving Spell, _Rennervate_. In case they needed to revive those who'd be knocked out, although really there was no way to know how they'd do on either until they got practicing. Cassia and Antonius apparently lose interest in watching people practicing or maybe because the professor went over to check on them as they paired up, Scorpius went with Michael, who was still looking rather down.

"Want to try stun me first?" Scorpius asked, it took Michael longer to get spells than him and maybe going first would cheer him up a bit.

"Alright," Michael agreed as they faced off against each other, Michael raised his wand and took a deep breath before moving quickly, "_Stupefy!_"

Scorpius barely had time to register the jet of light that sprang from Michael's charred wand before he was knocked into oblivion.


	8. IV: Bullying

_**Thanks to:** Lucifersdaughter, HarryPadfootLupin, A Guest and Aya Diefair for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Is James going to join the Shadows?_**  
_I'm sorry, I can't answer that. But I will give you that if he were to join, it wouldn't happen while he's still in Hogwarts_

**_Counseling sessions? What's up with the ministry?_**  
_They just have a new Minister who's making changes and the counselling sessions are mandatory because 2nd years and above have all been attacked to some degree or at least witnessed something (as have some of the 1st years from wizarding families) which the Ministry deems deserving enough_

**_Is Maurice ever going to date anyone?_**  
_Not this book but in future books, maybe. He's only 13 and hormones are only just starting to kick in so the concept is certainly going to become more appealing to him as the opposite sex start becoming more appealing to him. But whether he'll ever act on it or stick to his guns, I won't say  
_

* * *

"Easy there, Scor," Professor Ashain's voice came to mind as Scorpius' eyes fluttered open, seeing the professor and Michael standing over him, "You were just stunned very enthusiastically."

"I was?" Scorpius wondered as the professor offered him his hand, Scorpius took and allowed himself to be helped to his feet by the professor.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius," Michael offered apologetically.

"No, it's good that it worked."

They went back to practicing the spell, it took Scorpius a few attempts to get it but still faster than the rest of the class and generally when he could do the spell, he could do it every time. Michael didn't succeed at as frequently but from the tired and anxious expression, Scorpius thought his failure was more to do with fear of hurting him and the full moon messing him up. Knight and Nott were the pair to get it after them, Knight even managed to stun someone from another by accident and Nott managed it not long after that, Abby got it just after he did. Albus and Rose took longer but both had succeeded by the end of class, almost everyone had at least once. Scorpius thought it would be hard _not_ to succeed with Professor Ashain giving them so much help, he was really determined that they succeed. Scorpius really liked that about him.

"That was awesome, now we'll be able to take on the forces of the darkness!" Albus announced cheerfully as they left the lesson, "Just like my Dad."

"You do that, we have Arithmancy," Abby pointed out and Michael sighed.

"Let's hope it's less tiring than stunning," Michael muttered weakly as he left with Abby while they headed back to the Common Room.

"Hey Scor!" a voice called out as they got there, they stopped and Scorpius turned to see Latimer coming over to him.

"Shouldn't you have classes or something?" Rose complained as she wrinkled her nose at Latimer.

"Not for another half hour."

"What classes did you take?" Scorpius asked with genuine curiosity to which Rose threw him a dark look for some reason.

"Well not enough interest to do Alchemy which is a shame, I really wanted that. Midas only accepts 'O' level students for Transfiguration so she wouldn't let me or Molly do it because 'E' isn't good enough for her. Longbottom also thinks 'A' isn't good enough so he wouldn't let me take Herbology so I took Care of Magical Creatures instead. I also went with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Runes and Astronomy plus Molly convinced me to do Charms. Eugh, Grant, that'll be fun."

"Did Molly take the same?"

"No, she got an 'O' so she went with Herbology instead of Astronomy, she didn't take Runes so she went with Divination and went with Arithmancy since she wasn't allowed to do Transfiguration. She's doing seven because her Dad told her to, naturally. She's in Herbology now."

"It's good to take seven," Rose insisted, "The more you study, the more you learn. Maybe _you_ should've taken seven."

"He's taking six, that's only one less than seven," Albus pointed out.

"One can count for a lot. And did you want something anyway... Druss?"

"Latimer. That's not even close," Latimer complained before looking back to Scorpius, "And yeah, I just thought you might like your money back sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Scorpius agreed and Latimer immediately went to retrieve it while his friends looked at him curiously, "What?"

"Why does he have your money?" Albus wondered.

"Oh, I agreed to pay Austin - Latimer's Dad - for letting me stay but not how much. Latimer suggested hiding half my money amongst his stuff because Austin's... Well... He'd kind of have no problems taking everything I had."

"Why would you stay with someone who would knowingly hide you from the Ministry in exchange for money?! What kind of person takes money from a runaway?!" Rose demanded irritably.

"It wasn't that bad," Scorpius admitted truthfully, "Latimer's good. Even if his Dad isn't."

"I don't know how you could do it," Rose continued as Latimer returned with Scorpius' bag of money, "I mean Latimer is _so_ ugly. Every time I see his face, it makes me want to vomit. No offense."

"I'm still right here and I still have ears, they work pretty good," Latimer pointed out as he handed Scorpius the money.

"I said no offense."

"How can that not be construed as..." Latimer started to say but seemed to give up, "Never mind, I just go and... I just have to go."

"How rude, walks off in the middle of a conversation," Rose griped as Latimer left, "Hideous and rude, why are you friends with him again?"

"Can you at least _try_ to be nice to him?!" Scorpius complained as he stalked off to put away his money, leaving Rose asking Albus how she'd not been nice to Latimer.

They made a start on their Charms work as they waited for Arithmancy to let up, Michael and Abby joined them shortly. Although only Abby started work on the essay with them, Michael just lay down on one of the couches weakly with his arm over his eyes. Scorpius realized they were given wide berth, one look at the black bracelet on Michael's wrist and the other students moved away. It was really bothering him by the time they headed to dinner, Michael didn't seem to notice though as he looked ready to pass out.

"I might just skip dinner and go straight to the Hospital Wing," Michael told them as he rubbed his eyes.

"The Hospital Wing?" Rose wondered with a bemused expression.

"That's where I'm supposed to stay for the full moon, there's beds and Marigold's there if I need anything."

"_Marigold_," Albus repeated and chuckled to himself.

"You are so childish," Abby complained with a roll of her eyes.

"But _Marigold_. His name is _Marigold_."

"I'm glad Corin is more mature than that."

"Hey!" Albus snapped immediately, "I am way more mature than Corin, I'm an entire year older than him! I'm so much more mature than him, if there was a competition for the most mature person in the world than I would win it and he would lose because I'm better than him and he can suck it!"

"Good comeback," Scorpius commented sarcastically before being distracted by the sounds of laughter.

Scorpius saw that it was James Potter and his cronies, they were aiming their wands at the feet of a Slytherin boy that looked maybe Second Year. He cringed inwardly as he recognized what they were doing, forcing him to dance by aiming spells at his feet. They'd done that to him in his First Year. Not fun. There was a small crowd watching, mostly First Years and the majority of non-Slytherins were laughing.

"I-I don't... You shouldn't pick on people like that. It... It's not nice," a voice piped up and the speaker stepped out of the crowd, the bullying and laughter stopped. Scorpius realized that he recognized the boy from the Sorting, Byron Knight, a Slytherin, "I-I think that you... you should maybe leave him alone."

"Is that what you think, huh?" James said in a sneer, his attention gone from the Second Year - who fled in an instant like his life depended on it - as the gang instead turned their focus to little Byron.

"Y-Yes," Byron admitted but fidgeted under the gazes of the crowd and the teenagers.

"Well don't you just have ants in your pants?" Carver - one of James' cronies - pointed out before abruptly flicking his wand at Byron as he muttered something.

The spell struck the younger boy unchallenged and the effects weren't immediately apparent, Carver smirked cruelly and Scorpius noticed that Byron's pants now bulged oddly. They also wriggled. Byron yelped abruptly and leaped into the air, James hi-fived Carver as they laughed and the crowd started laughing too as Byron jumped about with tears in his eyes as he screamed. Desperately, Byron started trying to take his pants off and Scorpius got a glimpse of the angry red ants that went for his hands which made him cry out in pain again. One of the others of James' group flicked his wand and the pants seemed to tighten, leaving Byron unable to remove them.

"They're stinging me!" Byron shrieked in a sob as he continued to flail about, "Stop it! Stop it! It hurts, stop it!"

"You wanted us to leave him alone," Carver commented.

"Scumbag shadowy Slytherin, didn't even say please!" James added.

"PLEASE!" Byron screamed, tears streaming down his face, "Please! Please! Please! Make it stop, please make it stop!"

"Typical Slytherin, no loyalty whatever to their beliefs."

"Slimy snakes," Carver agreed which seemed to give James an idea, he smiled and aimed his wand at Byron.

Byron seemed to pause for a moment, thinking James was finally taking pity on him but James didn't and whatever spell he muttered made Byron scream. The shape of the wriggling bulge had changed and Scorpius could now hear hissing, James had turned the ants in Byron's pants to snakes. James laughed as Byron screamed, he was still screaming and clawing at his pants to try remove them.

"STOP!" Byron yelled, "They're biting me! Please, please, stop! PLEASE!"

"They're only little ones and they're not poisonous," James smirked as Carver hi-fived him, laughing hysterically himself although Scorpius was at least pleased to see that not all of the students were laughing now. Scorpius had to do something to help the poor boy, he drew his wand and-

"_Expelliarmus!_" Michael cried before Scorpius could.

It not only disarmed James but throwing back against the wall, Carver made to defend his friend but Scorpius had his wand trained on him warningly. Carver did nothing as Michael stalked over and slashed his wand at Byron, muttering a spell as he did so that cut Byron's pants and underwear away to free him from the snakes. They started to slither around and the crowd shrieked in panic, Carver quickly got rid of them with a spell Scorpius didn't know before they could bite him.

Scorpius realized he'd been right about Byron having something wrong with his legs, he had two magical aluminum prosthetics from a different place on each scarred - it looked like werewolf claw damage - thighs. Blood was dribbling down them and there were loads of red bumps from the ant stings as well as bites from the snakes, he was shaking as Michael wrapped his own cloak around the younger boy to cover him. No one was laughing, the only sound was coming from Byron who was still sobbing quietly. Albus was looking at the ground with a deep expression of shame, Rose and Abby both had their wands on James' other friends and James himself... Was that a flicker of regret on his face? Had James maybe realized he'd gone too far? Or just annoyance at

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Michael demanded of James furiously, James' eyes now burning with rage in response, "He's a freakin' First Year!"

"Slytherins are shadowy, Death Eatery scum and they deserve to be put in their place," James stated coolly, "He doesn't count as human. Then again, neither do you, you werewolf."

"He's more human than you," Byron muttered, sounding more like it was saying to himself but the silence as the young crowd scattered from Michael in horror ensured it reached everyone's ears. Including an even more outraged James.

"I'm Harry Potter's son, I know who's good and who's bad, I-"

"You're a disgrace to your father's name!" Michael snapped in interruption and James just looked stunned, "You're a disgrace to your family's name! They'd be ashamed to see what you just did, what you just did to an innocent child! And don't you dare say because he's a Slytherin! Nick was a Slytherin but he had the smarts of a Ravenclaw to break a NEWT level spell, the hard work of a Hufflepuff for all the effort he used and the bravery of a Gryffindor to stand up to the Shadows. Houses don't matter, we're all just people and its petty people like you that make the world a worse place. It's no wonder that your father hates you! You sicken me."

"Who cares what you think, Dragon-breath?" Carver shot out defensively.

"And you're just as bad but you're not worth my time, you're just a pathetic follower with barely half a brain cell left."

"Wha-"

"It's going to be okay," Michael offered gently to Byron as he rubbed the eleven year old's shoulders soothingly as he pulled up his pants, cutting off and ignoring whatever Carver had been going to say, "Marigold is a great Healer, he'll get you fixed up and stop the pain. Okay?"

"Thank you," Byron whispered tearfully as Michael started to lead him away.

Scorpius wanted to follow but he also was afraid that if he lowered his wand than Carver would attack Michael while his back was turned. Especially from the livid way that Carver was eying them. His other friends seemed just as frozen. It was only when Michael was out of sight that he lowered his wand, the crowd slowly dispersed to dinner and James got up to rejoin his friends. His shock seemed to have worn off, replaced by a look of determination. He threw them a look of loathing before leaving with his friends but Scorpius still caught a flash of conversation from James as they passed.

"I'm going to get that jumped up werewolf, mark my words."

On that disturbing note, they continued on to dinner in silence. Maurice was paying attention to their conversation this time but only seemed to be doing it half-heartedly as they told him and Corin about what had happened with James. Scorpius also realized that he hadn't seen Maurice in his fingerless gloves all day.

"Hi," a voice greeted them and they looked up to see Mirra Pentakel had approached, Albus gasped and started choking but a quick flick off the wand from Maurice and his discomfort passed. Mirra frowned and handed him his goblet of pumpkin juice that Albus started gulping down, "Wash it down with that. Are you alright?"

"Finokay," Albus wheezed incoherently and somehow managed to make the pumpkin juice splutter out of his mouth as he spoke, dribbling down his chin and raining on his food. His face went as red as his tomatoes and Abby tutted as she started helping him clean up with her napkin.

"Good. So I'm looking for Michael, I figure now he'll miss classes from his condition that he might like some studying help again to keep on top of it. I already cleared it with our Heads of Houses so if he wants to then it'll be alright."

"It's a full moon tonight," Scorpius explained, "He went to the Hospital Wing already."

"I know, I wasn't sure whether he'd be at dinner," Mirra pointed out before shrugging, "Oh well. Just let him know, okay?"

"Will do," Scorpius promised and Mirra smiled as she thanked them and left.

"Well that's great," Rose spoke up, "Just the thing to get him focused on his studies again."

"Forget that, I'm in love," Albus sighed dreamily.

"Bloody hell. Not this again."

"How can you possibly like Midas?" Scorpius demanded of him, "She was so cruel to Michael, making him sit over there and showing off his bracelet more. Who actually believes it was to help with his Dyslexia?"

"Not Midas! Gah, she's yesterday's news. No, I'm taking about Mirra and you can't say that's weird because she's the same age as Molly who you're dating so suck it. Mirra is my soul mate, I can see it now. We're destined to be together like the colors of a rainbow," Albus told him with a happy sigh.

"That doesn't even make any sense," Corin complained.

"It doesn't have to make sense, I'm in love!"

"Well tres bien but good luck getting her to like you back, you managed to choke and barf juice in front of her. Girls love that," Corin commented and Albus' face burned crimson again.

"Shut up, I'll make it up to her."

"What is wrong with you people?" Maurice snapped irritably.

"You're the odd one out here, not us," Albus pointed out to which Maurice simply shook his head and let go of his necklace to eat alone, "What is his problem?"

"Roman probably," Scorpius shrugged.

His attention drifted as he saw the full moon through the window and felt a pang of pain for Michael, he'd be transforming if he hadn't already. He also felt incredibly guilty, if Michael hadn't stepped in then it could very well be him or Rose - or both - in the Hospital Wing turning right now. Assuming they'd have survived in the first place. It was on that gloomy thought that Scorpius headed to bed, Michael's empty bed was also a sore reminder and Albus shut up about Mirra to gaze at it sadly. It took a long time to fall into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

James was furious. How _dare_ Dragon-breath interfere with him? Those Slytherins deserved what they got, he was doling out justice like his Dad did. And he'd gone and ratted him out to the scumbag Healer, Neville had pulled him aside after lunch to scold him and give him detentions. Stupid Neville. And stupid Albus, he hadn't even tried to stop his friends from stopping him. James had looked like an idiot. And what right had Dragon-breath to say his family hated him? Just because his Dad had been obsessively concerned about Dragon-breath for no reason over the summer, it didn't mean they didn't like him. And what did he know anyway?! Dragon-breath had a lousy relationship with his family, he was clearly just jealous and taking it out on someone who had everything he craved. The only bright side was that his Dad always wrote the letters to tell him off himself, he knew the difference between his parents' handwriting and writing both names didn't make it from them both.

"Have you thought about_ how_ you're going to get Dragon-breath back though?" Carver asked of him in his now-broken gravelly voice, lying lazily down on his bed which was to the left of James'.

They were in their dormitory, the others were getting some sleep before Astronomy but he was too riled up, ranting to Carver. Carver was his best friend and had been since meeting him on the train to Hogwarts in First Year, he was tall and had brownish hair that was always shaved to be incredibly short. His eyes, while beady, were a brilliant azure and his face was very handsome. He had been somewhat overweight but a year's worth of serving as a Reserve Beater - meaning he still attended practices - had encouraged more exercising since Carver could be lazy at times but his fat had now morphed more into impressive muscle.

"Tonight's the full moon," Carver continued, James loved how he talked now, "We could try use that to our advantage, he's going to be weak as shit tomorrow. A pillow would probably take him down, he's so tiny. I swear my little sister's bigger than him and she's three."

"Hmm... Maybe tonight's the perfect time to go after him," James mused thoughtfully.

"Jay, do you not remember what werewolves are like?"

"Yeah but if he even tries to defend himself then it'll get him expelled because he can do some serious damage," James insisted with a smirk, "That'd be great, it'd mess Malfoy up to lose his boyfriend to expulsion."

"I'm more worried about Dragon-breath messing you up first."

"I'll be fine, Carve, plus I'd be in the Hospital Wing."

"Yeah, you should totally trust that Slytherin Healer," Carver quipped sarcastically before grunting, "Marigold's scum. He couldn't heal his way out of a paper bag. He couldn't heal Pentakel."

"Werewolf wounds can't be healed magically, my Uncle Bill's still scarred all these years later," James pointed out.

He felt his anger rise again at Pentakel. The jerk was a prefect _and_ the new Quidditch Captain. And a Seeker. He no longer had his good looks though, the werewolves had brutalized him and James no longer had any regrets over his decision to not help him. It wasn't like he'd died. He also felt a renewed pang of anger for the Shadows at the thought of his Uncle Bill, James had liked his Aunt Fleur and those bastards had killed her. It made all the more determined to get those Slytherins, he wanted to be doing _something_. His Dad should be proud, he wouldn't defend a Shadow from the same thing after all. He hoped Neville had killed the one who'd killed her, Cel hadn't been sure. Cel was so awesome to take on three Shadows at once and live. Cel was awesome, period.

"Werewolves don't like fire, especially not Dragon-breath after his arm got fried," Carver said with a sudden smirk, "Do we still have some of your Uncle George's products?"

"Yes," James confirmed as he returned the smile as an idea formed, "Yes we do."

His anger was replaced by glee at the chance of revenge and he was in a highly good mood when they finally headed off to Astronomy, unfortunately he only had enough Fever Fudge left for him so he'd have to go it alone. He left the products and the cure-end of the fudge in his dormitory before they went. Then he simply waited until Koray had started talking about his boring sky and how important the year was because it was OWLs, who cared what stars were called? Pentakel cared though, dumb bastard was lapping it up although James wasn't sure why, he was half-surprised that Pentakel could still see. James waited a few minutes before taking eating the fudge, feeling the effects before he'd swallowed it, his skull felt like it was on fire.

"Professor Koray, I don't feel well," James complained as he raised his hand, Koray sighed and trudged over to him, "I think I have a fever."

"Mr Potter, I appreciate this may not be your favorite class but it's no excuse to fake illness every time," Koray scolded him, annoying bastard but that was why he'd left the cure-end in the dormitory.

"I'm not faking. Feel my forehead," James lied.

"Not necessary, I know about Skiving Snack boxes and remember you using them last year. Take out the antidote side and bite it."

"I don't have it, Sir, I'm really ill."

"Must we do this again? Turn out your pockets," Koray commanded and James immediately obliged, proving he had nothing, the professor's expression turned to one of apologetic concern, "I'm really sorry, you understand why I was dubious. Get yourself over to the Hospital Wing, I hope you feel better soon."

_Lying bastard_, James thought to himself as he nodded meekly and left, his head still burning but he'd have to put up with it for a while yet. He went straight back to the dormitory to retrieve the cure-end and the Wildfire Whiz-Bangs but couldn't use it as he still had Marigold to see. Unlike Koray, Marigold wouldn't check his pockets because skiving students tended to not bother going to the Hospital Wing at night. At least, he never had before. This proved to be correct, Marigold gave him something for the fever and told him to rest. Stupid scumbag Slytherin Shadow snake, he was probably only alive because he was one of _them_. Monster.

And there was his target. Right down in the furthest bed closest to the window. Dragon-breath made for a small werewolf compared to the ones at Hogsmeade but that was to be expected, Dragon-breath was short. It was still larger than James, a large but scrawny wolf with the same odd coloring as Dragon-breath's hair and the black bracelet that marked him for what he was still on but now looked tight on the leg. It was curled up like dog although took up most of the bed, its eyes were open and if werewolf's had expressions then it would be sad. His eyes were oddly the same though, one hazel and one gold except now the prosthetic was hazel and the real eye was gold. He was staring off into space idly but his eyes were fluttering closed like he was trying to sleep.

James ate the cure fudge as soon as Marigold was gone but waited a bit more before making his move, giving Marigold a chance to - hopefully - sleep and for Dragon-breath's mismatched eyes to stay closed for a while. Finally he crept over with the box of product, placing them right beside Dragon-breath's tail and back leg before moving with equal stealth back to his bed. He waited a moment, Dragon-breath didn't stir and Marigold didn't come rushing out of the Nurse's Office for having noticed anything. With a smirk, James drew his wand and aimed it at the box of fireworks, he could thank Ashain for his incredible aim as he launched the spell.

It had the desired effect. An explosion of color burst out in a bang that almost completely masked Dragon-breath's terrified yelp of surprise, blasts of brightness were flying anywhere as Dragon-breath darted around in panic. James' laughed was lost to the sounds screeching around him. And then one of the fireworks struck him, tossing Dragon-breath out of the window with a shattering crash. He thought he heard Marigold finally rushing out but it was hard to hear over the wailing fireworks. He was too busy running to the window anyway, seeing the explosion of lights from the firework but Dragon-breath had been knocked to the ground safely before then. James supposed it was a good thing that it was only the First Floor but werewolves were tough anyway, Dragon-breath didn't seem too badly hurt as he scrambled to his feet and bolted into the Forbidden Forest. _Good riddance._

"And stay out!" James called out, despite the fact that he doubted Dragon-breath could hear him even as the fireworks died, "No one messes with James Sirius Potter!"

"Well James Sirius Potter is in a _lot_ of trouble," Marigold commented crossly from beside him.


	9. IV: Bells and Stones

_**Thanks to:** ScorpionTalent, Winged-panther1, Aya Diefair, Lucifersdaughter and A Guest for reviewing! Also Winged-panther1, I'm glad you like the covers_

**_Questions:_**

**_When are Scorpius' parents going to confront him about running off? They clearly saw him on the train, so they know he is there, right?_**  
_Next chapter, this chapter turned out longer than I thought so next one. They know he's in Hogwarts but Scorpius has only been there a day literally so it takes some time to set up so they're seeing him the weekend in-story which is this chapter and next  
_

* * *

Michael lay on the ground where he'd collapsed from the painful transformation back to human, his body still ached, he breathing heavily as the last residual twinges of strength left him. He felt so drained and weak that he could have slept right there on the cold uncomfortable ground, littered with twigs and stones that were stabbing his naked flesh. He had really hoped he wouldn't find himself in that situation again but he'd been scared to go back to the castle as a werewolf, in case he'd be attacked again or he'd scare people. His brain groaned from the effort of thinking but he pushed past it, focusing was better than sleeping in the forest.

He'd fiercely hoped that James and his friends would've stopped or that someone else could've defended the boy, he wasn't sure he'd had the strength to disarm so the force of his success had surprised and drained him. He'd left quickly after snapping at him with as much energy because consciousness kept threatening to abandon him and passing out in front of James would not have been good, he'd managed to get the poor boy to the Hospital Wing though before finally being able to lie down. He'd drifted in and out of sleep for a while before Marigold warned him of the impeding moon, Marigold had put a screen up for his privacy. He'd loosened the friendship bracelet to still be able to wear it as a werewolf but stripped everything else for it to not be destroyed by his turning, the boy had stayed to talk to him for a while after he'd turned even though Michael couldn't talk back. He tried to take Michael's mind off it or cheer him up before Marigold had sent him to bed in his dormitory, he was a sweet boy.

And then James had arrived, sick with a fever apparently. Michael had just tried to ignore him and go to sleep which was actually kind of difficult when his werewolf body begged to be used, he thought he'd finally succeeded though before the explosion of lights. At first he'd thought it was spells of people attacking him but looking back, he thought it was more likely that James had set off some fireworks that his Uncle sold. At any rate, he'd been caught by one and thrown out the window, spared cuts and major damage maybe from being a werewolf although he was still sore from falling and his hip was especially painful from being struck by the firework. He'd ran into the forest and stayed there for the night, wandering aimlessly around. And still he was there.

His body groaned even more as he forced it to move, pulling himself into a sitting position and leaning against the nearest tree. He was in some kind of clearing, he knew his way back but it was a fair walk. If he had the strength then he'd have kicked himself for not moving closer to the edge while he'd had the chance, maybe they'd be looking for him but he wasn't going to sit around and wait to be found despite his body's protests. He was just going to rest for a minute to get some semblance of strength before trying to find his way back, he was going to have to live with his post-moon sickliness for the rest of his life so he was going to have to learn to deal with it at some point. He fixed his friendship bracelet back to fit his human wrist, he didn't deserve it though. He was a terrible friend, he'd almost killed Scorpius and Rose and had actually gotten Nick killed. He shivered at the thought and the cold, wishing that he still had clothes.

Michael sighed and took deep breaths, scanning around the eerily still forest to stop his mind from giving into sleep. Harsh light filtered weakly through the trees but there was no warmth in it, he shifted his gaze to the ground where spidery tree roots covered the dirt. It was all scattered with an assortment of twigs and stones, he scowled as something caught his eye. He picked up the black stone, it actually looked like someone had etched on something in to it. A triangle with a circle inside it and a vertical line going through it, there was a crack going through the vertical line perfectly. It wasn't a letter, it wasn't a rune but it still seemed odd.

He idly started turning it over and over in his hand, dismissing it from his mind as he recalled the times he'd been in the forest last year. Being attacked by a Bicorn defending Hugo, spying on Greyback which was where he'd incurred the werewolf's wrath... He only had himself to blame for his condition, how he hated his stupid self. And then there was after the attack when he'd shifted back to human for the first time, thinking he was going to die. He sighed again, Nick had died and he'd lived. He wished it was the other way around, Nick had more life to live than he had especially as a werewolf, he saw how people looked at him when they spotted the damn bracelet. That was his fault too, he should've just stayed to help Nick warn people before even considering Hogsmeade.

Michael heard movement and looked up, surprised he'd been found so quickly. He was wrong. It wasn't Calderon or Hagrid or one of the other staff but a teenage boy. A dead teenage boy. Nick Longbottom. He was more substantial than a ghost and not silvery colored or translucent nor was he floating but at the same time, he didn't seem... alive either. He was wearing the same clothes that he'd worn the last time that Michael had seen him, he looked almost the same except no longer stressed and maybe healthier for it.

"Am I dead?" Michael wondered in confusion but Nick only smiled and shook his head, "Are you dead?"

"Yes, quite dead," Nick assured him.

"Then how..." Michael tried to ask but trailed off, wondering if he was going mad and hallucinating but Nick seemed to catch on.

"You're not insane, I'm not a hallucination. That stone called me back," Nick explained and jerked his head to the strange stone he'd been turning, Michael blinked in shock and also became very aware he was still naked and tried to shift position to cover himself accordingly, "It can't bring me back to life, no magic can do that. But it can bring me back, only so long as you're holding it and only you can see me."

"Wow," Michael breathed in amazement, not sure what else he could stay to that as he studied the strange stone again. Why was it just lying discarded in a forest?

"MICHAEL!" Hagrid's voice boomed, Michael was taken by surprise so much that he dropped the stone. Nick vanished the instant it left his fingertips.

"Nick, no! Come back!" Michael cried out desperately, he didn't want Nick to be gone. He hadn't even had a chance to apologize for getting Nick killed yet.

He scrambled for the stone in panic and clutched it tightly, hearing the half-giant's footsteps approaching as his yelling had drawn Hagrid's attention. It didn't matter, he just needed to hold on to the stone and he could call Nick back again. Probably when he wasn't fighting exhaustion and his mind could think more clearly.

* * *

Scorpius headed down to breakfast alone, Albus was having a lie in since it was a Saturday and Michael obviously wasn't in the dormitory. He'd tried to kill some time by unpacking his things neatly, the photographs he liked to keep on his bedside along with the Golden Snitch from his first game and decorating his wall with posters of motorcycles from the magazines he'd brought. He trudged down the stairs wondering whether he should visit Michael before or after breakfast in the Hospital Wing, last time he'd slept for a while but he had been injured. He wanted to show his support either way.

"Scor!" a voice called and Scorpius was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of his girlfriend's voice, he smiled and looked up to see her sitting in one of the armchairs with a book that she was closing to wave at him.

"Hey Molly," he greeted her happily and approached, making a mental note that he really needed to find opportunities to spend time with her especially since there'd be no Quidditch practices for a week weeks and they weren't in the same classes for being in different years. And he'd missed her, "What's up?"

"Doing some reading about Quidditch, we may need to up our game now that Pentakel's Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and Hufflepuff may get a half-way decent Seeker now that the previous one's left," Molly explained, her uncle being Aubrey Rivers the Arithmancy professor on her mother's side, "What are you doing?"

"I was going to breakfast. Don't you want to eat?"

"Usually I wait for Latimer and we eat together but he's not down yet."

"We could go together?" Scorpius offered hopefully.

"Or you could wait here with me?" Molly counter-offered and moved offer to give him some space, he sat down beside her and rather liked how close they were sitting.

"So what's it like being a NEWT level student?" Scorpius asked conversationally.

"Kinda weird, there's loads of doubles and free spaces. I'm really frustrated at not being able to study Transfiguration, Florian and McGonagall both accepted 'E' but not Midas apparently. I guess I should be glad I got an 'E' at all though, during the exam I just constantly kept being reminded of Florian teaching us and then get mad at him for being evil and upset about Nick and then fail whatever I was doing from not thinking straight. Midas said I'm not allowed to retake the exam though. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not allowed though, I already don't like her and I already have a teacher I can't stand for Charms. Rivers was over the moon that I'm continuing with Arithmancy instead though so I guess at least someone's happy. What do you think of Fourth Year so far?"

"Not too different from being a Third Year except people seem to mention OWLs a lot but I guess it's only been a day so who knows? And missing out on Midas is definitely a good thing," Scorpius told her and went on to say about what she'd done to Michael, isolating him for his Dyslexia and making his werewolf bracelet unnecessarily obvious as well as the terrible lesson, "I only had her for one lesson so far and I already don't like her."

"Hey Molly. And Scor," Freddie greeted his cousin with an oddly nervous smile, he was dark skinned but still had Weasley-red hair in the form of dreadlocks and Scorpius knew him from the Quidditch team where he played Beater. Freddie was a Seventh Year now but they also had an amicable relationship, "Could I just talk to you real quick about the tryouts?"

"I don't know when they'll be yet, I'm going to talk to Krum today though so I should know by this evening," Molly told him.

"Great but not what I was going to ask. I just wondered if you could do me a favor, you know my girlfriend Caitlin Birch who normally plays Chaser?"

"Can't say that I do. Do you recall us ever having Freddie's girlfriend as a Chaser on the team, Scor?" Molly wondered sarcastically.

"I didn't even realize Freddie had a girlfriend. And a Chaser, you say?" Scorpius continued with the sarcasm to which Molly smiled and he caved in smiling too.

"Ha ha, very funny you two," Freddie commented with slow clapping.

"Yes, I know Caitlin obviously," Molly confirmed, "What about her?"

"Well she's going to try out for Chaser again this year."

"Great."

"No, no, no, not great!" Freddie burst out desperately as he waved his hands out, "I wanted to ask you if you could _not_ let her on the team."

"What? Why?" Molly asked in confusion that Scorpius shared, Caitlin was pretty good and nice enough. Molly seemed to guess the reason though as her expression changed to one of more severity, "Look, I'm sorry if you two are having problems but I'm not going to deny her a spot on the team for it. If it's best for the team then I'm happy to have her, I play fair."

"No! No, no, we're not having problems!" Freddie exclaimed, flailing his arms even more and seeming to be losing his composure uncharacteristically, "Things are great between us, I love her and we're so strong together."

"Then why don't you want her on the team?" Scorpius wondered with a frown, he'd hate if he or Molly weren't on the team.

"For her health! Quidditch is dangerous, there's Bludgers flying around and those things hit hard, we're high up so a fall would be devastating then there's all the fighting over the Quaffle that Chasers have to go through and have we ever really thought about how healthy it is to fly around on thin little sticks? And then there's the weather, if it's a long match we could be out there in pouring rain or snow or hail or freezing winds that feel like you're being stabbed by icicles and it's all made worse from being in the air," Freddie burst out in a panicked rant, "She needs to be safe right now, on safe ground, doing safe things. Not Quidditch."

"With that kind of attitude, we may as well disband Quidditch altogether," Molly complained, looking even more confused.

"No its fine for us but just not for her, not right now."

"Why? Is she sick or something?"

"She's just... I mean... Not _sick_ exactly... She just needs to be careful... Well sort of sick, I suppose maybe you could..." Freddie babbled unhelpfully as he scratched his head, finally he just sighed, "Never mind."

"Well that wasn't weird at all," Molly muttered as Freddie left, Scorpius shared in her puzzlement, "So what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Midas. I'd normally say to tell someone but considering Elwood's the Headmaster and her cousin, I don't think he'd do anything about it. Maybe she'll get better once you get to know her?"

"You really think that?"

"Not really but one lesson isn't always the best gauge for how things will be, especially the first one. All you can do is hang in there and hope she lightens up once she gets to know Michael."

"Somehow I doubt it."

"Just going to have to hang in there anyway, I'm afraid," Molly offered apologetically and kissed him on the cheek, he took her hand gently, "Anything good about your first day?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Ashain was teaching us stunning," Scorpius told her enthusiastically, she smiled.

"You know, I love the way you call the teachers you like _Professor_ something instead of just by their last name. Can always tell which teachers you like and dislike."

"I didn't even realize I did that," Scorpius admitted with a blush but he smiled, "You know, I love the way you notice something random like that."

"You love the way I notice one random thing?" Molly wondered as she blushed.

"Yeah," Scorpius confirmed before pressing his lips against hers gently, relishing the feeling as he felt her kissing him back.

"Hey Molly!" a more unpleasant voice barked and they pulled apart in an instant as James Potter strode over to them, he said nothing to Scorpius but did throw a hateful glare in his direction before flicking his gaze back to Molly, "I need to talk to you about Quidditch."

"I'm not making you Seeker," Molly complained with a roll of her eyes, "You're not as good as Scorpius, you're not even as good as Lily as Seeker. I'm sorry but no."

"It's not about that!" James snapped at her fiercely, "Although I think all three of us know the real reason for that is because you're dating him, if not you'd see him for the talentless hack that he is."

"Everything about that statement is wrong. I wasn't dating him the last two years that he made the team and I wasn't even Captain the first year," Molly pointed out and James just snorted, "He's just a better Seeker than you and you're a better Beater than him."

"I need you to give up Captain so I can be Captain," James insisted, seeming to decide to just get to the point.

"Erm... No."

"Molly! I need it! I'm having a bad fucking day so just do something right for once! Pentakel is a prefect and Captain and I'm neither, I have to do something to best that arrogant prick."

"What did he do?"

"He told me that the Headmaster wants to see me later, rubbed it my face that I'm going to be in trouble. Elwood's a lazy ass anyway, he was too lazy to get out of bed to punish me so I got told off by that scumbag Marigold and Neville."

"Then maybe you shouldn't torture First Years."

"You heard about that?" Scorpius wondered to her in surprise.

"One of the prefects' younger brothers saw it, was telling us during the patrolling last night," Molly explained briefly.

"It's not even about that, you idiots!" James snapped frustrated.

"What is about then?"

"None of your damn business! So will you give me Captain or have you fallen too far into the side of the dark that you've forsaken your family?!"

"James, Captainship doesn't even work like that and I don't really want to give it up anyway, especially not for a stupid reason to someone who'll just abuse the position to make themselves Seeker and kick decent players off the team out of bias," Molly told him firmly and James eyed her darkly.

"You suck, Molly!" James screamed accusingly, "You're a disgrace to the Weasley name! You're a horrible, awful person and I hate you! I _hate_ you!"

"Hate me all you want, I'm not giving you Captain," Molly affirmed and James turned to leave angrily.

"Well I have to go vomit though because the sight of you kissing a psychotic snake is disgusting!" James shouted as he stormed off, Molly scowled, "BLOOD TRAITOR!"

"What the hell is his problem?" Latimer wondered as he passed by James - James purposely knocked into Latimer - to come over to them.

"He's just an asshole," Scorpius said darkly.

"Let's just go to breakfast before he comes back," Molly sighed as she stood and they headed off, "Or someone else to talk about Quidditch. Every time I see Albus, he begs me to let him on the team and talks about how much he's improving."

"And that bothers you?"

"It bothers me that his heart's so set on it so when the tryouts come I have to crush his dreams if he's not good enough to make the team again."

"He'll probably get my spot, I suck," Latimer commented bitterly.

"You'll do fine, you're a good Chaser."

"I can't even walk straight," Latimer pointed out truthfully. He did have a limp now but that didn't mean his flying would be worsened, plenty of people were graceful in the air but not on the ground. Scorpius also noticed he had his silver prefect badge on too.

"That doesn't mean you won't be able to fly straight."

"Did you decide to keep on being prefect then?" Scorpius asked to change the subject as Latimer looked dubious over Molly's statement.

"No," Latimer snorted, "Longbottom told him to give a shot because he thinks I'll be a good prefect, apparently it's mostly because of how I was in Hogsmeade. Last time I help people out if I get this kind of thing as a result."

"What, something good?"

"I can't be a prefect. I'll be terrible at it. I'll screw it up."

"You'll be a good prefect. It's not that difficult anyway, more just tedious and time-consuming," Molly spoke up as a First Year ran by.

"Hey!" Latimer barked and put his arm out to bring the boy to a halt. Scorpius recognized him from the Sorting as Pollux Koray, the Astronomy professor's son, "No running in the corridors! Don't you know the rules?!"

"No," Pollux admitted and Latimer rolled his eyes before pointing his arm violently in a different direction.

"Well go to the Library, check out a book on the Hogwarts rules, read it and then you know!"

"Yes sir," Pollux agreed and scuttled off in the direction Latimer had pointed while they continued on to the Great Hall.

"See you did good," Molly offered, "Maybe less shouty but otherwise that's spot on."

"I can't be a prefect," Latimer insisted.

"Why not?" Scorpius wondered, "There are much worse people who could be prefects. Likes James or Kyle Nott."

"My mother was a prefect."

"So? That's great, second generation prefect."

"I'm nothing like her and I can't live up to that, it's an insult to her memory. You people wouldn't understand," Latimer complained as they made it to the Great Hall, Scorpius spotted the girls already there with Corin and Maurice where they started to head towards them but Latimer made to sit down at an emptier space further up the table, "You go on, I'll eat by myself. I wouldn't want to make you cousin throw up her breakfast."

"What?" Molly wondered.

"Never mind. Come on, she'll be nice," Scorpius pleaded, he'd been looking forward to sitting with Molly for breakfast but it was hardly fair to leave Latimer alone, "If she's not then we'll move."

"Fine," Latimer agreed with another roll of his eyes as they went over to them.

Rose said nothing but gave Latimer a disgusted look anyway, in fact Rose seemed quite annoyed with the breakfast company as a whole. Albus and Michael weren't there, Corin mostly talked with Abby, Molly mostly talked with Scorpius and Maurice wasn't even using his translator necklace. Rose rather liked talking so she seemed to go between trying to pry Maurice into a conversation with her and talking at Latimer. Albus arrived sleepily just as they were finishing, yawning loudly and lazily as he started piling food onto his plate.

"So, Scor, what did you do to the dormitory?" Albus wondered of him immediately.

"Just unpacked a bit, posters and photographs. I really wish I had more photographs, most of them are family not friends," Scorpius pointed out.

"What's with the motorbikes?"

"They're cool."

"Cool enough to put on you wall?" Albus complained, "They don't even move."

Scorpius was about to reply but they were distracted by the arrival of the post, the swarm of owls fluttered in. Scorpius as surprised when a cluster of identical white ones dropped identical letters in front of him, Molly, Rose, Albus, Corin and Abby as well as a some others further down the hall but he wasn't close enough to see who the receivers were though. Some also dropped them off at the staff table, Professors Longbottom, Hagrid and the new Flying Instructor Krum all got them.

He picked up the pristine white envelope curiously, seeing his full name on the front in curving, intricate raised golden letters that glistened on the page. He turned it over to open it and saw the back was decorated by an image of golden bells, also raised but these were moving and swinging on the page. He opened it carefully, not really wanting to damage it and read.

_You are cordially invited to celebrate the marriage of:_

**_Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley_**

_At midday _

_Friday December 23rd 2020_

_At The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon_

"I'm invited to your cousin's wedding?" Scorpius wondered as he read the invitation again just to be sure, he did recall hearing about it last year but it still surprised him for some reason.

"Yep, told you," Molly confirmed.

"I know but I've never even met Teddy Lupin unless you count seeing him from a distance and I've barely spoken two words to Victoire, if that."

"Well Teddy's technically your cousin because your grandmothers were sisters and your Molly's boyfriend anyway so you're in," Rose reeled off and Scorpius' eyes darted around for Calderon but not finding him, realizing Teddy Lupin would also be Calderon's cousin except Calderon's mother was their grandmother's sisters. Teddy wouldn't know that though, nor would his grandmother, "I wonder where Michael's invitation is."

"Well he's not in this room right now so the owl wouldn't deliver it," Maurice chimed in, apparently drawn back to them by the interesting assortment of letters, "They always deliver it to the person in question."

"Is Calderon or my family invited?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"No," Rose said immediately, "Considering they disowned Teddy's grandmother, I doubt they'd care about her grandson. And why would Calderon be invited?"

"I don't know, just... you know because he's Calderon."

"How come I'm invited but Maurice isn't?" Corin questioned with a frown.

"You're only invited because your Dad is family friend," Albus pointed out testily, clearly not happy that Corin was invited.

"You can probably come, Maurice," Rose spoke up hopefully, "You're technically Molly's cousin by her mother and your father, plus our friend so Vic and Teddy should be okay with it."

"Weddings are stupid," Maurice complained.

"Well tough. You're being invited and probably Orous too, his stepdad out of politeness maybe."

"I've never actually been to a wedding," Latimer admitted, "Are wizard weddings any different to the muggle weddings on TV?"

"You're not invited!" Rose shrieked.

"Wait, how is this going to work?" Scorpius wondered with another frown, both because he was curious and to stop Rose saying something more insulting to Latimer, "If I leave Hogwarts then my parents will probably drag me back home and never let me out."

"You don't have to worry about that until the summer, it's an ongoing year so you're safe," Maurice offered and Scorpius relaxed slightly.

"Still, I was just going to stay in Hogwarts for the holidays. Is it even possible to leave just for day?"

"We'll work out the details closer to the time," Molly pointed out dismissively, "It'll be fine."

"Hey Scor," Calderon greeted him and Scorpius turned to see the assistant had come over to him, Scorpius started to smile but noticed the assistant seemed somewhat nervous, "You have to come with me now, your parents are here to see you."

"What?!" Scorpius burst out in panic, "They can't pull me out of Hogwarts! I'm safe, that's the rules!"

"No, they're not doing that. They can't," Calderon assured him, sounding genuine and Scorpius relaxed greatly but it was replaced by a new kind of worry. Was something wrong? Had his baby sister been born months early and died already? He felt his heart twinge painfully at that thought, "But they still have a right to see you, they've arranged it with Elwood and Harry so... yeah."

"Wait, Harry? As in my Dad, Harry?" Albus wondered in confusion.

"Yeah. For safety they've limited the use of the Floo Network within Hogwarts, only the Headmaster's fireplace can be used for full-body erm... Flooing? Is that the word? Flooing sounds strange. That's funny," Calderon rambled, smiling as he veered into a tangent that made golden lights dance around him, "It's a cool word though, like whoosh. Whooshing and-"

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk really fast?"

"Yes, yes they have. What was I saying again? Oh yeah, for safety only the Headmaster's fireplace can be used for full-body Flooing. The fireplace in the Auror Office is the only one that can go _to_ the castle and it can only go_ from_ the castle to certain locations chosen by the professors mostly so Harry needed to know about it to allow access anyway. He was coming here today anyway for something so let the Malfoys tag along."

"Dad's here? Can I see him?" Albus asked excitedly and Calderon looking slightly sympathetic.

"Not right now, he wants to do the thing he came here for first. Well second, he also wants to see your brother because James did a bad thing. Several bad things really, Elwood needs to see him too and I have to get him as well. I'll ask Harry about it for later though, okay?"

"Okay," Albus sighed and added almost inaudibly, "Bet it'll be a no."

"Come on then, Scor."


	10. IV: Reacquainting

_**Thanks to:** Faded Into The Dawn, Winged-panther1 and Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Will the new Transfiguration teacher die too?_**  
_I'm really sorry but I can't say_

**_Why is it I see Calderon as a less chinny Matt Smith?_**  
_I have no idea, he has nothing to do with Calderon  
_

**_Is James homosexual or am I imagining things?_**  
_You're not imagining things, I always thought of James as gay even though he hasn't quite realized it yet_

* * *

Scorpius bade the others goodbye and followed Calderon down the table to get James, he was evidently done with his tantrum and laughing with his gang of cronies. It dawned on Scorpius that he'd known them by sight since his First Year but didn't know the name of any beside Carver, since Carver was a Reserve Beater.

"You need to come with me, I'm afraid," Calderon interrupted the Fifth Years conversations.

"That lazy arse finally wake up and decide to punish me?" James quipped as his expression darkened immediately.

"Your Dad's here actually."

"Really!?" James burst out with both excitement and delight as he jumped to his feet, Calderon nodded.

"He probably just wants to tell you off," Carver pointed out lazily to which James snorted and lost his mirth, "It'd explain the lack of a Howler."

"He only has time for me when he's telling me off so I'm not surprised, I'll take it," James shrugged dismissively, "Catch you guys later and- What the bloody hell?!"

"What?" Calderon wondered as they started off, James having noticed Scorpius with them and glaring loathingly.

"My Dad's here to see _him_ too?! Why does he have time for everyone but his own children?!" James demanded angrily, "What is wrong with you, Malfoy?! Find a different non-Death Eater Daddy to steal!"

"I'm not-"

"His parents are here to see him for a _completely_ unrelated reason," Calderon interjected before Scorpius could finish an angry retort, going on to explain about the restrictions to the Floo Network as they walked. It appeased James somewhat but he still seemed sulky to be walking alongside someone he despised before they finally reached the gargoyle guarded entrance to the Headmaster's Office, "The Battle of Hogwarts."

"The Battle of Hogwarts?" James repeated curiously as the started to ascend.

"Elwood's a big fan of your father's. Ron and Hermione Weasley as well. The whole defeat of Da-Da-Dark Lord... thing," Calderon started to explained before tripping over his words at the end, magic lights flashed in panic for a moment for some reason.

"You shouldn't be scared to say his name," James scoffed as they reached the top and headed off.

Scorpius would've protested that Calderon wasn't scared to say the name and had just got his tongue tied up but he didn't want to be arguing with James when they went into the room. He caught a snatch of conversation before Calderon knocked politely on the door, it sounded like Harry had been congratulating his parents. Presumably on his baby sister. His baby sister who would soon die after she was born.

"Enter," Elwood's voice called and the conversation ended as they entered.

Elwood sat pleasantly at the desk where his predecessor had died although it was mostly full of papers now, much more than Headmistress McGonagall yet somehow he looked quite orderly. His mother was seated on the other side with her back to him, his father stood beside with his hand on the top of the chair protectively at her shoulder and both looked back as he entered. Harry Potter was standing on the opposite side to his father but not as close to the chair and facing in their direction, leaning against the desk and had had a smile on his face albeit somewhat strained. It vanished the instant he laid eyes on his son though, straightening up as his expression became stony. What had James done again? Or was this a reaction to what he'd done to poor Byron Knight? Or both?

"James."

Harry greeted his son in an almost growl and gestured for his son to follow, taking him out of the room to yell at him while Scorpius went in with Calderon. Calderon flicked his wrist to close the door behind him but it didn't stop them from catching a snatch of Harry yelling, 'WHAT WERE YOU THINKING' before it became muffled from the closed door. Elwood didn't seem to lose his smile though. On the contrary, he was beaming. Scorpius dragged his feet over to his parents, only to be surprised by his mother jumping up and pulling him into a rib-crushing hug.

"Thank Merlin's stars you're alright!" his mother burst out as - if possible - she tightened her grip, he could feel her tears against his hair, "Your father and I were worried sick!"

"There's a war going on, Scorpius, what were you thinking running off like that?!" his father demanded when his mother finally loosened her grip enough for him to draw breath and angrily detangle himself, "You could've been hurt! You could've been killed! You could've been taken!"

"Well I wasn't!" Scorpius protested irritably, "Nothing bad happened, I can take care of myself and that should prove it! I'm fourteen years old not four!"

"You weren't there for your birthday," his mother pointed out tearfully.

"I'd rather have no birthday then no freedom!"

"Scorpius, no one was trying to take away your freedom," his father insisted.

"Confining me to the manor, not letting me go to Hogwarts or see my friends is... what then? Is that supposed to be fun for me?"

"Watch your tone! And we never said you couldn't see your friends, just that the werewolf couldn't stay with us!"

"That attitude isn't very politically correct, a more polite way to phrase it is that 'we couldn't allow your friend to stay with us at this moment in time for a reason that has nothing to do with his condition,'" Elwood reeled off.

"Couldn't you give us some privacy?"

"See, that's much more politically correct and polite, don't you feel all the better for it-" Elwood started to say happily but trailed off when Draco threw him a filthy look, "I'll be just over there."

"Where did you even go?" his mother wondered as Elwood moved back to the furthest corner away from both them and the Potters, where Calderon had moved to give them privacy. There was still muffled shouting coming from the outside though and the portraits were doing a bad job of pretending to sleep convincingly.

"I stayed with a friend," Scorpius admitted, it was true enough. As he spoke though, he felt a tingling warm sensation coming from the ring to alert him to a message. He covered it quickly with his hand and glanced down at the letters forming before they faded: _Potter's there. Do you know why?_

"Was it the werewolf?"

"No! It wasn't _Michael, _he has a name!"

"I know, I just didn't think of it. Who did you stay with?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Why are you being so hostile?" his father asked him with a sad look in his eyes, "We're just trying to do what's best for you, we're trying to protect you."

"Well that's not what's best for me anymore!" Scorpius snapped and had to put effort into trying to reign in his temper, "I'm not a child anymore, I don't need you to _protect_ me... I need you to _support_ me. I'm staying in Hogwarts and you can't do anything about it legally, you can either accept it or... not."

"How can we possibly support you endangering your life?" his mother wondered but his father just looked at him and sighed before hugging him.

"We want to support you, we just want you to be alive too," his father told him as he pulled away, "Please come home, we can work out something where you're safe but still in contact with your friends."

"I'm staying," Scorpius affirmed determinedly, feeling oddly good to have control for once.

"Alright but we will be revisiting this at the end of the year."

"Yes, Father," Scorpius nodded, he expected it even though he had every intention of leaving again if they still wanted to keep him trapped.

"And we're going to stay in contact, no owl silence."

"Yes, Father."

"And we're going to arrange to meet you in Hogsmeade."

"What?" Scorpius wondered as his head shot up in surprise, "But Hogsmeade is when I can go on dates with Molly or hang out with my friends outside of school."

"This isn't up for debate," his father said sternly, "If Hogsmeade gets attacked again then I want to be there to make sure you don't get hurt. If not then we'll just revoke parental consent which is still necessary, even if you go to Hogwarts against their will. You wanted Hogwarts and you can stay in Hogwarts."

"Alright, fine," Scorpius agreed reluctantly, not happy about it but he thought he'd prefer it to no Hogsmeade.

"Okay," Harry said and Scorpius glanced to see him returning with James, residual rage still written on his face while James just looked sulky as he was marched over to Elwood, "What is his school punishment?"

"What?" Elwood wondered, losing his smile for the first time to look shocked while James looked somewhat relieved, "Nothing, don't worry about it."

"You're not going to punish him for brutally assaulting an eleven year old and almost killing a teenager?!" Harry demanded incredulously.

"Oh no, no, of course, it's just well... Usually I'd punish someone quiet severely for something like that, even if I was being lenient because it's the start of term."

"Well do it!"

"Scorpius, are you even listening to me?" his mother's voice drifted to his ears but Scorpius hadn't even realized she'd been speaking.

"Oh erm... well okay, James Potter, you're suspended," Elwood announced, pulling himself up to full height, "For six weeks."

"Six weeks?! That's completely unfair!" James burst out.

"So is having ants sting and snakes bite a little boy and launching fireworks at a werewolf, you knocked him out of a window."

"What did you do to Michael?!" Scorpius demanded furiously, his hand going to his wand on instinct and had to make a conscious effort to stop himself. Forgetting that he really wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping and was supposed to be talking to his parents, the fire suddenly burned intensely but it went unnoticed.

"It's hardly my fault that Dragon-breath was stupid enough to fall out a-"

"JAMES!" Harry boomed and James fell silent immediately, "Go get your things! You're coming home. Suspended for the _second_ time!"

"But it's not fair."

"Not fair?! You're lucky to not be expelled! Now go!" Harry yelled furiously and James sulkily left, "Sorry about that."

"He's gone now, pay attention to us," his mother insisted and Scorpius looked back to her, still simmering that James had tried to get back at Michael.

"It's alright, I'm sure it's not _your_ fault," Elwood offered comfortingly, his grin returning while the anger drained from Harry's tired face to become one of regret, "But you know if you wanted to make up for it then... then my... erm... niece would love your autograph."

"What's her name?" Harry sighed and Elwood eagerly pulled out a Chocolate Frog Card to hand to him.

"Silvanus," Elwood told him and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that a boy's name? And your name?"

"Yes... She was... named after me."

"How old is she?"

"She's... two. The same age as Ashain's daughter."

"Cassia's six," Calderon pointed out.

"Quiet you."

"Scorpius, you're still not listening," his father complained, Scorpius hadn't realized his father had started speaking. He needed to overhear though, Varanian wanted him to find out why Harry was there.

"I'm sorry, I just found out my friend was injured somehow. Now I'm worried," Scorpius told them, it wasn't a complete lie. He _was_ worried but if he was severely injured then James' punishment would've been worse so seeing him could wait until Harry was gone, "I just want to see him and makes sure he's okay."

"Can't it wait? If he was severely injured then Potter's son would've been more severely punished, I'm sure he can live without you while we talk for a bit. We haven't seen you for a month."

"But Michael's hurt _now_. October 29th is the next Hogsmeade trip, I'll see you really soon," Scorpius pleaded.

"Why don't we do both?" his mother offered and Scorpius couldn't think of a reason to disagree as they went over to ask Elwood.

"Yes, that'd be fine. My assistant can fetch you when Mr Head Auror Boy Who Lived Harry Potter is ready to leave," Elwood agreed, "When he's done with important Auror business. That _I_'m helping with."

"Yes, well done," Harry commented monotonously as the Malfoys went to leave, "I'll Patronus them that we're ready for it, Marius if you could get Neville and Atticus ready."

Scorpius left with his parents before he could hear more although it was something at least, Professors Ashain and Longbottom were involved and they were waiting on an 'it'. It wasn't a lot but maybe his parents would be done with him soon so he could find out more. His parents were quite talkative as they went, his mother mentioning things from her school days as they passed through the corridors. Scorpius just hoped people wouldn't throw him such dark looks in front of his parents, they'd want him to go to Hogwarts even less then. Most people seemed to still be at breakfast though.

He did get to see Michael but Marigold had given him something to help him sleep after healing his minor injuries, Scorpius did finally learn what James had done though. Calderon had repaired it all but Marigold told them, Scorpius kind of wished his parents hadn't though because it was sure to dampen their view on Hogwarts even more. They didn't say anything about it though except to express sympathy as they headed back to the Elwood's office, asking him about how his first day of classes had went mostly. Elwood was there but Harry and Calderon were both gone, he waited outside to give them more privacy this time.

His parents didn't complain again about his running away, although they did ask him about his summer had been with his unnamed friend. Scorpius did try to be as honest as possible but at the same time, tried to leave out anything negative or anything that would alert them to how he got away in the first place. He couldn't let them know about the ring and he didn't want to let them know about Latimer or the Knight Bus, if he did have to run away again then they'd know where to look. It felt really sad to have to think like that about his parents and diminished his anger against his parents somewhat, he supposed it didn't matter though. Like anything bad that happened in the Malfoy family, it was just never spoken of again.

They talked a bit about how things were back home, mostly about how they were decorating the nursery for the new baby. Scorpius' spirits sunk even lower at the thought of this, soon his new baby's death would join Lyra in being unmentionable. Why did bad things have to happen to everyone but him? His sisters died but he lived. Michael was turned into a werewolf but Scorpius got off unscathed. His grandfather destroyed his soul to save his life. What kind of horrible person was he that awful things happened to the people he cared about but he continued to get away unharmed?

Scorpius was more relieved than disappointed when Elwood told them time was up and had apparently been waiting with a scowling James, his parents bade him goodbye and reinforced they'd stay in contact before he went. He was feeling rather disappointed with himself for not getting away sooner, there was no way he'd be able to find the Map to locate Harry to find out where they were and what they were doing before it was too late. He passed Harry and Calderon returning as he left, Professors Longbottom and Ashain now with them.

"I would see him and Lily but we really need to get this done before there's another attempt," Harry was saying in a low tone that was hard for Scorpius to hear.

Scorpius was ignored by all but Calderon who spared him a wave as they continued by. Somehow he doubted that Calderon would feel up to telling him. Or Professor Ashain for that matter. Clearly there was _something_ going on but he didn't know enough to even hazard a guess. He supposed he was glad to be on speaking terms with his parents again and he certainly wouldn't miss James but he no longer felt happy like he had earlier with Molly. He hoped Varanian wouldn't feel like he'd failed him and that Michael would be awake later, he'd thought of going to visit him but - to his surprise - it actually wasn't even lunch year and Marigold had said the potion would last until the mid-afternoon at least. Instead, he simply headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

Most people were no longer in breakfast and he was still getting plenty of looks, although not nearly as many as he got with Michael with him. He decided he'd just head up to his dormitory, think for a bit, maybe contact Varanian on what little he'd found out or at the very least use the Map to find his friends. He was surprised however as he noticed a familiar boy with light-brown hair heading up to his own dormitory, he rushed forward to tap Maurice's shoulder to get the deaf boy's attention.

"What?" Maurice questioned of him as his hand shot to his translator necklace.

"What are you doing up here?" Scorpius asked to open conversation, realizing it was the perfect time to ask him about his disappearance.

"Vern, Orous and Albus wanted to practice Quidditch for the tryouts since I have no interest in the sport, I'm not with them. Abby, Corin and Rose were studying in the Library but Abby and Corin keep kissing instead so now I'm here."

"Maurice, can I ask you something?" Scorpius wondered nervously and led his friend into his empty dormitory, glancing around to assure himself of this fact before asking.

"I don't remember what happened when I was disappeared."

"Really?" Scorpius said doubtfully, really trying to let his expression show his doubt for once so Maurice would understand, "You don't remember anything?"

"What does it matter if I do? I don't want to talk about it," Maurice insisted and a worrying thought occurred to Scorpius.

"It wasn't muggles was it?"

"No."

"Magical torture?"

"I said I don't remember."

"Brainwashing?"

"Why does it matter so much?"

"Because clearly it's bothering you, you're my friend and I'm worried about you," Scorpius told him seriously and Maurice's neutral expression flickered ashamedly.

"It's nothing like that," Maurice said reluctantly, "It was a test."

"A test?" Scorpius repeated in confusion and Maurice's neutral expression was torn by guilt and shame.

"You either win and live or fail and die."

"I don't understand."

"I passed the test," Maurice told him guiltily.

"I still don't understand," Scorpius admitted and Maurice just shook his head in annoyance, scowling and stalking off.


	11. IV: Friends and Family

_**Thanks to:** Aya Diefair, Winged-panther1, A Guest, Faded Into The Dawn, Leandriel-Whitestorm and Guest reviewer for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_He (James) has a crush on Craver doesn't he? (Not that he realizes it yet)_**  
_He has a crush on Carver yes (not that he realizes it yet)_

**_When will they (the Malfoys) ever learn that their son is strong, not a weakling like they believe?_**  
_You mostly see things from Scorpius' point of view so you're kind of biased, he **thinks** they see him as a weakling because of his own insecurities but they don't actually think of him as 'weak' and in fact think he's strong to have been through everything he has and are proud. But they're still concerned just because he's their son, they think of him as their child that keeps getting hurt and they desperately want to protect him like they failed to do in the past for him and his sister (and are trying to overcompensate a bit out of guilt for feeling like they failed their children), they think they know what's best for him because they're his parents and they do still see him as a child. The real question is will they ever start to see him as a maturing adult and respect/support his decisions instead of just making them for him_

**_Will Scorpius and Molly be able to leave Scorpius' parents somewhere and go on a date by themselves, or will they use the sleeping potion Scorpius used last year?_**  
_He wouldn't use sleeping potion, that would not help repair the relationship in the long run (and he'd be afraid of the effect of it on the baby in Astoria's case). He will have to deal with them being though and find a way to lose them_

**_Will Maurice tell Scorpius/Michael/Orous, and if it's one of the other ones besides Scorpius, will he be told?_**  
_Maurice will eventually open up about it, if not to Scorpius then he will find out_

**_I am guessing tht this test Maurice is talking about, is it something like "kill or get killed"?_**  
_Something like that, yes. More detail will come at some point eventually in this book_

**_Curious tho, will he (James) ever change? or will james be this disgusting person the whole time?_**  
_That would be way too spoilery to answer, I'm afraid. I will say though that while I don't consider James a good person, he's not completely evil either and like plenty of non-likeable bad OCs (ie. Grant, Roman, Varanian, Brutus, Sal) has more complex reasoning behind his actions than just being evil. Whether James will ever get back in touch with compassion or will just get even more warped by bitterness over time remains to be seen_

**_Will there be Annie/Calderon pairing?_**  
_The really major problem with that pairing (aside from both of their aversion to dating) is that they probably actually won't even meet each other, Calderon lives and works in Hogwarts and rarely leaves except for Hogwarts buisiness anyway, Annie lives purely in the muggle world right now. Generally I don't have it certain who someone will end up with, I have ideas and like seeing how they interact on page(?) and I have someone in mind for Annie who she will meet. Calderon, poor Calderon, I just don't see him as with anyone. Calderon accepted awhile ago that love/romance/relationships is something he wants but is in incapable of having... pretty much like everything else he's ever wanted really  
_

* * *

_Alexis Azubah Loren was born on Christmas Eve in 1986 to Rathan Abaddon Loren and his wife, Adelaide Alexa Loren. She had her father's eyes and the same slight wave in the hair as her father but the light-brown coloring and features were her mother's. The couple were happy initially but Adelaide soon became dissatisfied with being a housewife to a colicky baby while Rathan worked as much over time at the Ministry as he could, determined to provide his daughter with more luxury than he'd had growing up. He doted on his daughter, giving her the nickname 'Alzay' by taking the 'Al' from Alexis, the 'z' from Azubah and the 'ay' because it was the first thing she said. While Adelaide just became increasingly frustrated with her life, feeling neglected by her husband and bored with motherhood._

_She got a job behind the counter at the local Apothecary for part-time, more out of desperation for some reason to leave the house than from financial necessity. That was where she met Stuart Hunt, a muggle-born who travelled the world as a Magizoologist to research magical creatures. Adelaide hadn't had much interest in magical creatures before - or the muggle things he spoke of - but his tales of his travels brightened up her mundane existence, escaping from Acromantulas or seeing Phoenixes in flight were much more exciting than Alexis learning to walk or managing to magic her spaghetti onto Adelaide's head when she didn't want to eat it, even muggle machines that could fly were more interesting than looking at the unintelligible scribbles of a toddler. She began an affair with Stuart without any regrets, she'd married Rathan more for the sake of marrying pureblood than love and even before he seemed to have decided to devote attention to his daughter rather than her, he was frustratingly moody._

_Rathan was completely clueless of course which bothered Adelaide even more, he didn't pay enough attention to his wife to notice she was having an affair. Stuart paid attention to her, even when he was away they owled frequently and he was always buying her gifts. Rathan hadn't bought her a gift outside of special occasions since before Alexis was born, he frequently bought new toys for his daughter though. Stuart wanted her to leave her husband and travel with him, the catch was that he had no interest in having children. Adelaide didn't mind this, she thought one was more than enough but he also wasn't interested in being a stepfather to Alexis and she didn't think Rathan would stop until he got his daughter back anyway. She'd have to leave her daughter behind._

_Adelaide realized she had to have a choice, Stuart wasn't going to wait for her to leave her family forever. She could either choose a life of fun, excitement and adventure that was free of responsibility with Stuart or stay in the mundane life she despised with her moody, attentive husband and feisty daughter. Which did she love more, her child or her lover? Which was the better life that she wanted more? She choose Stuart, it had to be Stuart. Rathan's reaction was both unexpected and expected, be bounced between screaming obscenities at her and crying pathetically as she packed up her things to leave but he didn't try to stop her. Alexis just watched, the four year old probably couldn't even grasp what was happening, Adelaide supposed it was better that way. Rathan was a sobbing wreck on the doorstep, begging her not to leave him with Alexis silently watching by his side. Stuart helped her load the things into his car and they drove off, Adelaide never looked back._

_Rathan was devastated as he watched his life drive away, hurt and angry. He stormed back into the house, a picture of him and Adelaide on their wedding day shattered magically without his meaning it too. It made him feel slightly better, if she could destroy his heart then he could destroy the picture. It didn't feel like enough though, he swung out his arm and swept all of the pictures off to send them smashing to the ground. He stalked around the house in a rage, grabbing every picture of her and everything of hers that she'd left then tossing it to the ground. He realized after a while that Alzay was following him and joining in the destruction, seeming to think it was a game. He watched her jumping on a bottle of what had once been Adelaide's perfume and felt his anger freezing, he still had his daughter. The daughter that Adelaide was abandoning, he was all Alzay had._

_Alzay stopped, seeing him watching her and smiled proudly. He went over to scoop her up and hug her, he'd wanted nothing more than the best for her since the day he'd held her in his arms, completely forgetting that he'd wanted a son. She was his baby girl and she came first, she always had. They weren't the ones missing out, Adelaide was for choosing to walk away from her own flesh and blood child. He put Alzay down and instead took out his wand, whisking the destruction he'd caused out of the house and into the backyard. He then went round with Alzay and collected everything they'd missed of Adelaide's, adding to the pile of Adelaide's things. Then he took his wand and set it alight, shielding them both magically from the flames so they could watch it burn. It was very cathartic and soothing actually, he sat with Alzay happily in the light of the fire, even summoning marshmallows to roast on the fire of Adelaide's things._

_He talked to Alzay about how awful Adelaide and that mudblood she'd ran off with were, she preferred filthy scum to her own child, wanting to assure her that it wasn't her fault as he'd believed as a child when his father left. In truth, Rathan hadn't had much problem with muggle-borns before besides knowing purebloods were naturally superior but now he understood why they were so despised. They were wife-stealing and child-hating scum. He wasn't cruel enough to wish his wide dead but he wished that Stuart was in the fire burning, he smiled at the thought of the mudblood dying in agony. He also spoke of the great life Alzay was going to lead, he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy and have a good life._

* * *

Michael kept the stone hidden in his clenched fist when Hagrid had found him and hidden it inside the pillow before Marigold had given him the potion to help him sleep, which he was extremely grateful for as sleep was something he was still struggling with. He was still eager to use the stone again though, he just wanted his strength back already but his body truly despised him and refused to allow it. He spent the weekend drifting in and out of consciousness, even when he was awake his friends tended to be there or at least some of them.

He wasn't really awake and alone until Monday when his friends were in classes, Marigold had insisted he stay in the Hospital Wing which Michael supposed was fair since he did still feel extremely weak and tired. He'd maybe Michael would be released later but not for classes, especially not after the added recovery of James' attack. As much as he disliked James - and seemed to get worse every year - he felt bad that he was part if not wholly responsible for James' suspension, he didn't like being the cause for something bad. He still had to wait for Marigold to retreat to his office though since he came to check on Michael and had also brought him his breakfast, as he did with his meals in the Hospital Wing. Michael actually had an amicable relationship with the Head Healer, he wasn't so grouchy when you got to know him a bit.

Michael still needed him gone for the stone to work though and what felt like a lot longer than it actually was, Marigold obliged and Michael could take out the stone. He held it in his hands and thought of Nick but nothing happened. He frowned, there had to be more to it than that. He hadn't said anything in the forest to activate it, he'd just been sitting there turning it over. Maybe that was it? He started turning it over in his hands, thinking of Nick and was rewarded with his friend's return. He smiled tiredly but happily.

"Glad you're back," Michael told him with relief, "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it again."

"I don't think it's the kind of thing that runs out," Nick shrugged as he sat down on the bed, looking at him with a sympathetic expression and Michael opened his mouth to apologize for getting him killed but Nick spoke first, "I'm really sorry, you know?"

"Sorry? For what?" Michael wondered in confusion, he'd gotten Nick killed. What could Nick possibly be sorry for? Nick sighed.

"For getting you turned into a werewolf, I shouldn't have let you go to Hogsmeade like that. It's my fault you got hurt."

"What? No, it's not your fault, it's mine. And if anyone should be sorry then it should be me, you're dead because of me. I just left you to deal with Florian by yourself," Michael admitted guiltily and Nick looked stunned.

"What? How can you possibly blame yourself for that?" Nick asked incredulously, "It's not your fault that I'm dead, I had the easy task and I still screwed it up. There's no way you could've known that but I just let you, someone with two years less magical experience and skill, and someone even _younger_ go into the midst of any army of werewolves where their vicious, psychotic leader was after you. I'm sorry."

"I don't blame you, please don't blame yourself. It was my decision and it seemed like a good idea at the time. And you didn't screw up, you fought Florian bravely."

"Bravely?" Nick gave a derisive snort and his expression twisted to one of guilt and shame, "I died a coward. When Florian tortured me, I gave in and told him how we used the Shield Charm just to make the pain stop. If I'd held out instead of doing what he wanted like a pathetic coward, maybe things would've gone differently."

"You're not a coward, torture is what it is. Everyone has limits, you're only human. And even _after_ being tortured, you still stood up to him and told you Dad to not give in."

"Well he's my Dad, I didn't want him to die."

"You held out for something more important than a Shield Charm, that's not cowardice," Michael insisted and went to put his hand on Nick's shoulder to comfort him but his hand fell though.

"Still dead," Nick smiled sadly, "Why don't we both just admit we both screwed up so neither screwed up and talk about something less depressing?"

"Alright," Michael agreed with an attempt at a weak smile for Nick's benefit.

"And get some rest, eh? You look like crap," Nick pointed out as the cheer seeped back into his voice.

"I spent two days resting, I'm feeling better than I did on Saturday."

"Dude, I look better than you and I'm dead," Nick told him and despite himself, Michael laughed and Nick gave him a smile.

"Alright but I... I'll talk to you soon, okay?" Michael offered, abruptly terrified that it'd be the last time he spoke to Nick. Nick stood up and nodded as he stepped back.

"I'll be waiting," Nick assured him, "Tell my family I say hi."

Michael let go of the stone and Nick was gone again but he wasn't feeling so bad now he thought he could get it to work again, he picked up the stone and tucked it safely back inside the pillow. Despite Nick's request, Michael thought he'd hold off on passing along the message. He didn't want anyone else to know about the stone. He was sure an adult would take it from him, a stone that resurrected the dead didn't seem like something he'd be allowed to keep hold of and he didn't want to let go, he didn't want Nick to be dead. The stone was his.

* * *

Celestine laughed heartily on demand at the story that Ron Weasley had been telling him, on a rare hour off they were in the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. He'd actually lost track of the story because Ron had been laughing too hard at his own story for Celestine to understand but he was supposed to be drunk too so it didn't matter, he'd gotten good at acting drunk when he wasn't. He had drank something of course but made it look like he'd consumed as much as Ron, Ron wouldn't buy it as friends drinking together if he wasn't drunk but if he wasn't drunk then he'd be useless for gathering the required information on the Scepter. He'd already slipped Ron the Veritaserum so it was just a matter of steering the conversation in the right direction subtly.

"Tha's a good story," Celestine commented with a false slur in his voice, Ron grinned stupidly and proudly at getting complimented as he gulped down more beer, not the buttery variety, "But I 'lways liked the one with the stone."

"The Resurrection Stone?" Ron guessed in confusion and Celestine laughed falsely drunkenly, waving his half-empty glass.

"No, th'others one with the stone. Flamel's stone."

"Oh right," Ron said and laughed hysterically, so much that he had to wipe a tear from his eye, "That's is a much better story! Makes more senses."

"Makes more senses? Y'mean there's more than five? Whatever it is, I want it!"

"Not senses!" Ron laughed harder, "Shu' up, Cel, m'yam drunk!

"Mebbe we shoulden drank so much, Harry'll be pissed."

"If Harry was pissed then he wouldn't be mad!" Ron pointed out and Celestine faked laughter again, Ron grinned, "He's jus' wounded up 'bout James gettin' suspecterended. I'm sooo glad that mine stay outta trouble, they gots my good looks an' their mothers' head."

"Wait, did you jus' call your kids ugly?" Celestine quipped and it took Ron a moment for his drunken mind to process it.

"Hey!" Ron complained and threw a... nut? at him, "Not all of us can be pretty like you, wait 'til you get to old age will to you get down. You an' Gabrielle's kid ain't going tebbe ugly."

"Wait, did you jus' call me pretty?" Celestine wondered and Ron laughed.

"Y'know what I mean! Firs' time I saw you, I thought Harry had drawn the short end of the goat with a protégée. Had bets on how long you'd last, I was on five minutes," Ron told him and Celestine managed an amused smile that he didn't feel in the slightest, he'd always known they were never really his 'friends', two-faced bastards, "You proved me wrong though, proved us all wrong."

"Thanks," Celestine muttered without meaning as he stared into his beer, looking up abruptly as a smiling Ron clapped him on the shoulder.

"Imma proud. You did good, kid."

"Not good 'nuff for Harry to trust me with wha' we're doing to protect that Scepter," Celestine decided to risk pointing out.

"Tha's got nuthin' to do with trust," Ron insisted with a shake of his head, "He's tryin' to lessen your workload 'cause you're gonna be a Daddy soon, it's not a _major_ thing so he decidered to let you off of it. Less know the better anyway, he's afraid of lurkin' Specters overhearing."

Celestine was somewhat glad that his position hadn't compromised although he disliked being reminded of his impending fatherhood and Gabrielle. Comforting your wife over the death of her sister that you'd killed wasn't as fun as it sounded, if the baby was a girl then she'd be named in her honor. Celestine really didn't care, he just wanted the thing to be dead.

"It's safe though, isn't it?" Celestine wondered, putting concern into his voice and Ron smiled assuringly, "Kingsley died for them being after that thing, don' want 'em to get it and make his death in vain."

"It's safe," Ron promised, as oblivious to the fact that Celestine had killed the former Minister as he was to the fact that Celestine had been the one to almost kill Ron a few years ago. Ron hadn't a hundred percent recovered still either, he'd lost a lot of weight and hadn't regained it and the injury still pained him sometimes. There were flecks of gray appearing in his hair now too, "S'actually really clever, got the idea from the dead Dark Lord hisself! Voldie's cave had this blood toll, y'know?"

"Harry did that too?"

"Nah, much better. Made it so that it has t'be _specific_ blood," Ron explained in a lower but excited tone, eager to spread the brilliance of the plan in his drunken state, he really couldn't help but brag, "Only the blood of Harry, Neville and Atticus can open it."

"That is clever," Celestine commented with a lopsidedly false drunken grin, this egged Ron on to continue happily.

"Oh but there's more, he split it into two pieces. The sticky bit an' the stony bit and hid them both in different places, Old Voldie's cave and Hogwarts, jus' tebbe sure. That part was_ my_ idea."

"Bloody brilliant," Celestine lied and Ron laughed happily.

"Yep, mebbe my kids got summa my brains too then! Another round please!"

Ron said the last to a passing waitress, Celestine smiled inwardly and let himself relax. He had his answer and he had a way to combat it, he knew something that clearly Ron and possibly the others hadn't realized. With spells like that, blood flowed in more than that person's veins in the form of their children. Assuming they had any. Which Harry, Neville and Atticus all did. They just needed to locate the cave and specific part of Hogwarts where it was hidden, the rest was child's play.


	12. IV: Odd Behavior

_**Thanks to:** Winged-panther1, A Guest and Faded Into The Dawn for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Is Celestine gonna be revealed as a Soul Eater in this book?_**  
_Not this one, no. Not unless you count Fleur finding out before she died anyway_

**_Will Gabrielle and her babe make it out, hopefully moved to a safe house?_**  
_The baby will get to be born but whether they'll get to survive... too spoilery to say  
_

**_Is Michael going to tell Scorpius about the stone, and will it play a big part in the story?_**  
_The stone is relevant to the plot and has a role but Michael is not going to tell Scorpius about it_

* * *

_Rathan Loren did everything he could to give his daughter a good life, she was the most important thing in the world and he made sure she knew it. He showered her with gifts and whatever she desired, also showering her with affection and giving her his time. He was forced to hire a babysitter but fired her when the atrocious behavior she encouraged at a playdate, encouraging Alzay to share when she didn't want to. Alzay had every right to do whatever she wanted, she was his daughter and she was better than everyone else on the planet. _

_"You what you want because you deserve it," Rathan told the four year old seriously, "Never compromise because you don't have to, never be afraid to do what you want because it's your right to, never be afraid to fight for something you want. You're better than them and don't you ever forget that. Okay?"_

_"Okay, Daddy," Alzay agreed._

_"That's my girl," Rathan smiled and she beamed back._

_He hired another babysitter, one that would agree to his morals and beliefs with her. Alzay was happy, she thought she had the best father in the world. One that gave her gifts and played with her, he was always there if she needed him or needed anything and she appreciated everything. She saved up her allowance, not for herself but to buy her father gifts for holidays because he deserved nice things too. They were almost in their own world because Alzay never did make any friends, all her playdates were beneath her and just tools to get their toys or someone to play with for a few hours but she felt absolutely nothing for them. Why would she? She was clearly better than them, you didn't feel anything for a chair. Chairs were just something you used. She was a smart girl, it didn't help quell her growing arrogance that she was often right. Rathan had no friends either._

_Alzay was nine and a half when it became public knowledge that the Dark Lord had returned, for Rathan it was perfect. A man who wanted to eliminate the filthy scum that had stolen his wife? Create a world where the superior - like his daughter - were actually superior? Instead of being considered equal with the likes of things that Rathan stopped classing as human. He wanted Alzay to grow up in that world, not a world where she'd have to sit side by side things that were less than animals in Hogwarts. He signed up eagerly and Alzay didn't give it two thoughts, agreeing with the prospect of a better world order and proud of her father for being a part of it. Even if he was maybe, a bit busier with his extra job but he still made time for her. She never forgot it._

_But Voldemort fell. Rathan was arrested among the survivors in the Battle of Hogwarts, Alzay wasn't even allowed to see him before he was mercilessly thrown in Azkaban for all eternity. Alzay was devastated. Utterly devastated. It was completely unfair. Who cared what Rathan had done? He was her father, the loving father that she adored. She had expected to go live with her mother, especially when she'd been sat at the Ministry desk waiting for news of where'd she live now since Rathan had no family. She'd seen a file on her mother, with a picture of a beautiful woman with long light brown hair and big brown eyes that Alzay hadn't seen in a long time. Along with a name 'Adelaide Hunt' - her new married name - and an address. But Alzay was wrong again._

_"You see... Your mother... Well..." the Ministry official had babbled out, trying to think of a polite way of saying it, "She's not... interested- able. Not able to take you right now. I'm sorry, Alexis, but we'll find you a nice foster family, eh?"_

_Curing her lips at the use of her name rather than her nick, Alzay read between the lines and the slip of the tongue though. Her mother just didn't want her, she hadn't wanted her before or wanted her father and she'd just walked out on her family. Alzay had an epiphany. It was her mother's fault. Rathan would never have been a Death Eater if his wife hadn't betrayed everything right in the world, Alzay wouldn't be without her father if Adelaide just knew how to be a better person. Alzay hated her with a burning passion born from the pain of losing her father, the eleven year old vowed two things in that moment. The first was that no matter what it took or how long, she'd get her father out of the prison he didn't deserve to be in. The second was that no matter what it took or how long, Adelaide Hunt would pay for destroying her family. And Alzay always got what she wanted._

* * *

Scorpius actually felt some relief that he and his parents were speaking again, more than he'd realized although his parents wanting to meet him in Hogsmeade was problematic as he'd been hoping to have a date with Molly. Hanging out with his parents would hardly be considered fun for her, he'd have to think of something. In the meantime he had plenty of homework from just one day of classes to tide him over the weekend, he also wrote a letter to Varanian to convey what little he'd gleaned from Harry's visit and used the scrambling spell to hide its meaning. He didn't have a vulture but he figured he could ask Cassia Ashain for help again, she was an Avisora which meant she could talk to birds and - hopefully - get a non-owl to deliver the letter for him. He hadn't seen her though over the weekend, well not when she wasn't alone anyway and her father was sure to be curious.

Michael was in worse shape than what was apparently normal for a transformation according to Marigold because of James' stunt, damn James. They still visited him though, Scorpius didn't want him to feel abandoned. Scorpius also found himself in the air a lot, Albus was desperate that he practice and improve as much as he could to get on the team and determined that they should help him. Maurice naturally refused to participate, although Scorpius wasn't sure if it was entirely because of his dislike of Quidditch and flying or more because of his continuing withdrawn behavior. He hadn't said anything else to Scorpius about this 'test' over the summer but he didn't mad at him at least, still withdrawn though.

Scorpius was actually glad to be back in the air, he'd always loved flying and it relaxed him. It wasn't just the four of them either, a suggestion to Molly had gotten her to train to along with Latimer and Mirra Pentakel who were her friends and similarly, a suggestion from Abby to her boyfriend had gotten Corin to help train to along with Vern and Orous. Albus was still trying to get Chaser so they helped him with that, Molly and Vern - who both played Keeper - did so to give Albus a chance to try score, Corin and Rose proved to be the best with a bat so acted as Beaters to get Albus dodging Bludgers. Latimer was the only one who played Chaser but Scorpius, Orous, Abby and Mirra all joined him in working as two teams of Chasers, two on Albus' side to practice passing and the others as opposition to practice getting the Quaffle from them and dealing with attempts on it.

Abby and Mirra had some skill with Chaser from flying with their siblings while Orous and Scorpius were definitely lacking, both played Seeker so it was a drastic change for them. Scorpius also truly realized that he'd be going directly against Orous for the Snitch later on in the year, he was good on a broom even if lacking in Chaser skill. Scorpius had been right about his prosthetic foot not impeding his ability to fly, Latimer was always overshadowed by Michael but it was clear that he outshone the rest of them as Chasers in practice and wasn't used to flying with people so lacking in talent. Albus had improved, he was great at getting the Quaffle and keeping it away from prying hands, good at passing or throwing - but not at high speeds - and adequate with aim at least in regards to scoring but still as blocked by both Molly and Vern, also still doing worse faster. However, his basic flying skills - white he had improved - were still not great. He was clunky on his broom, not particularly agile and struggled to anything fast. He was knocked by Bludgers multiple times, even though Rose - while could hit fiercely - had bad aim. His being on the team and in training would probably, in all honestly, benefit Albus rather than Gryffindor.

Albus wasn't a natural flier but he was enthusiastic and always got up without complaint, no matter how many times he was knocked down. Molly would only say it depended on who else tried out which Scorpius thought was fair, as well as perfectly true. It would be Scorpius' fourth year on the team though, he knew the long term members and everyone from last year's team would almost certainly be returning. The trio of Chasers from last year - Michael, Latimer and Caitlin - and the permanent reserve Chaser Louis Weasley were all better than Albus. Even if Caitlin didn't return because whatever health-sort-of-thing that Freddie had been on about, Louis would take the third slot so Albus would be a reserve at best. Which Scorpius supposed was possible, the last reserves had been Seventh Years so weren't in Hogwarts that year. They just needed to be worse than Albus.

Michael still wasn't deemed well enough for classes on Monday, much to Scorpius' disappointment as he missed his friend and it was strange not having him there. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the first class of the week, which he would admit was a vast improvement to always starting the week off with History of Magic like they had the previous year.

"So I was thinking," Albus was saying through a mouthful of oatmeal, "That since after Defense Against the Dark Arts we have a free period because you have Arithmancy that we could have it as another flying session."

"Vern and I have a free period too," Corin spoke up, "Since we're not taking Divination."

"Also have Care of Magical Creatures and Study of Ancient Runes later on so then I've seen what all my elective classes are like," Maurice added, thankfully paying attention again, "Not that I need them but it doesn't hurt to learn more or refresh your memory, it'll be interesting to see how it's possible to learn runes without use of a Blood Quill. Looking forward to seeing the creatures too, I was surprised in the taster to realize that we're not learning how to defend ourselves from them and the best way to kill them but just about their lives and such. It's actually quite fascinating really."

"You are really fucked up in the head, you know that?" Rose commented bluntly, the normal neutral expression on Maurice's face flickered as he glanced at his scarred hands that he was no longer covering.

"I know," Maurice sighed.

"Are you looking forward to taking a class from your dad?" Abby asked of her boyfriend and Corin sat up rather stiffly.

"I'm not," Corin announced.

"Why? What's not to like about your dad's lessons?" Albus wondered, "Aside from the danger and constant fear of severe injury anyway. Also, some creatures are icky."

"No, I mean I'm not taking the class."

"You're not taking the class?!" Rose burst out in shock and Corin's glittery black eyes flashed with anger.

"No, I'm not. Just because my father loves animals and creatures and monsters, it doesn't mean that I do or that I have any interest in them because I don't. I have my own identity desperate from his, I have goals and ambitions and plans and none of that has anything to do with wild things."

"You could still have taken the class," Albus complained while the two Ashain children sat down with them, "Hagrid's going to be crushed."

"Well he's ninety-one years old and I think he should be able to deal with it and... Why are you two here?"

"Betterer view," Cassia shrugged, her butchered hair looked even more unusual up close but she was wearing the most mischievous smile.

"I don't know," Antonius sighed, looking very worried, "Please don't do it, Cassia."

"Well shoo," Albus said as he waved his hand at them to be gone, "This is the Gryffindor table not the kiddie table."

"By that logic we shouldn't be sitting at the staff table with Daddy either," Cassia pointed out.

"No it's the erm... staff and staff family table," Albus invented and Cassia snorted.

"Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

"Quite frankly yes."

"Who's Frank?"

"Oh my god, why?" Albus groaned as he put his face in his hands. Scorpius didn't mind though, he'd been waiting for an opportunity to speak to Cassia, "You're an idiot."

"The post is here! Look!"

Cassia seemed unusually excited by this and even Albus looked up as the birds flew in, Scorpius thought for a minute that Cassia was simply expecting a letter from someone - probably her mother - but she pointed at the staff table. Midas and Grant both looked to the owls to see if any headed for them, both received a dollop of bird droppings on their head. Grant looked unimpressed as more dropped onto his head while Midas gasped in shock and looked up, opening her mouth was a big mistake as one aimed a parcel of white from the wrong end personally. Midas fled into the side room in horror while Grant took out his wand with more dignity. Cassia howled with laughter, as did Albus and plenty of other people who'd seen it.

"I take it back!" Albus announced through his laughter, full aware of Cassia's gift and also realizing she had to be behind the bird's sudden interest in relieving themselves on professor's heads, "That is awesome! Give me five!"

"Yay!" Cassia agreed happily as she high-fived Albus but Scorpius noticed both the Headmaster's and Grant's eyes had gone to her.

"You're so immature," Abby sighed.

"What? They deservered it, I don't like them."

"It's no excuse!" Rose burst out and Cassia rolled her eyes, "That's disgusting and wrong and you can't do that to teachers!"

"Yes you can, I just gaved them some treats and asked them nicely to use the people I don't like as a bathroom," Cassia explained, mistaking the 'can't' as literal while Rose continued glowering.

"What will your father say?"

"I don't know, 'you're the bestest and coolest and smarterest daughter in the whole wider world and I love you.'"

"No! No he would not and he doesn't sound like he's five!"

"I'm six!" Cassia protested as if it was the most important thing in the world.

"You still shouldn't do it," Antonius agreed, looking upset, "Dad will be mad. Do you want him to leave too? Parents do that. They can stop loving you if you're not good enough for them."

"No they can't. Skye wasn't a parent, she was a bitch and good rid ants. Daddy is the best in the whole wider world. And he's too busy being insane to worry about it anyway."

"What? Insane?" Scorpius wondered in surprise and both Ashain kids nodded, "Insane how?"

"Ever since Harry Potter was here and he had to go to a special thing, he's been insane," Antonius told them, "He was talking super-fast that no one could understand, well he's got better but he's still talking really fast. And didn't stop moving and he didn't slept since then, not because he can't sleep but because he just won't stop. When he tried to magic my book over to me, he magicked the whole _wall_ and not on purpose."

"He said he was playing wall tag," Cassia laughed, "He ran between the wall in the sitting space to the other wall in the sitting space after he putted us to bed and as still doing it in the morning when I woked up and I don't know why. He's with Marigold now, I think he wants to be not insane again."

"Well that's... weird," Scorpius admitted with a frown.

"Not really," Albus shrugged, "I mean, you've met Aurelius. I think he doesn't have all the ingredients in his potion if you know what I mean, maybe Ashain's just lost the plot too."

"I think Aurelius is eccentric more so then insane."

"Who's Aurelius?" Antonius wondered.

"Your grandfather on your dad's side," Albus offered as he opened a letter from home to read, "He's a nutjob."

"Oh right. See Cassia, grandfather, that's another parent who stopped loving their child because they're not good enough. You have to be gooder or we'll lose both of them and be orphans."

"What?" Albus asked with a scowl but he was talking to the letter. His expression changed to shock then anger and he threw down the letter and turned on Antonius angrily, brandishing the penny, "This isn't valuable at all! It's worthless! You lied to me!"

"And so is a Knut, you lied to me too," Antonius pointed out dismissively, "Only difference is that I figured it out and you got outsmarted by an eight year old. Keep the change."

"Is that true? You're an idiot," Cassia laughed before standing and Antonius followed suite "Come on, we should get back to Daddy."

"Wait up!" Scorpius protested as he hurried after the kids, who moved surprisingly quickly, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Want me to tell your vulture where to go again?" Cassia guessed, also to Scorpius' surprise and it must've shown on his face because she elaborated, "I have rememories too."

"Memories," Antonius corrected, "And what are you talking about?"

"It's a secret. And that's the word thated I said. Meremories."

"Memories."

"Mermorerierias."

"Memories."

"Memremor-"

"It doesn't matter what the word is," Scorpius interrupted, "And it really has to be a secret, both of you. Okay? Even from your dad."

"I don't even know what you're talking about!" Antonius protested in frustration.

"Well good, if you could give us some priviaracy," Cassia told him.

"Privacy. And no, I want to know what the secret is or I'm telling Dad."

"It's nothing bad."

"Then you should have no problem telling me," Antonius insisted and Scorpius scowled but he couldn't see a way around it.

He told Antonius as much as he'd told Cassia, which was just that he needed to send a message to a location without using an owl. He lied about the receiver being afraid of owls and about it being a good friend of his but they seemed to buy it, Cassia agreed to do so and he slipped her the letter. All before they'd even reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Scorpius was now early but he didn't mind. He'd almost finished his breakfast anyway, Professor Ashain was back by then. He was putting a lot of trust in a little kid but he didn't have a choice, she was the only person he knew who could talk to birds and it had worked out last time.

"Hey," a voice greeted him and Scorpius was jolted from his thoughts to see the Slytherin Knight standing in front of him, he smiled nervously and Scorpius noticed up close a fresh scar on his cheek from werewolf claws although luckily it must've just been a graze as it was only faint, "I just wanted to thank you, you know since you and Michael stood up to my brother against Potter and his cronies."

"It was nothing," Scorpius shrugged it off, "Anyone would've."

"No they wouldn't, he's a Slytherin and you're Gryffindors. Plus he's Harry Potter's son, he's in your house and no one wants to stand up to the son of a hero."

"Yeah well... don't mention it, James is an asshole and your brother didn't deserve that. It was pretty much all Michael anyway, thank him, all I did was hold a wand at one of the cronies."

"Oh I intend to, when he's actually here. My Dad always said to..." Knight started to say enthusiastically but trailed off as his expression became sad, "Um... Yeah, lost my train of thought but thanks again."

"Why were you talking to him?" Albus complained as he sat down beside Scorpius, Scorpius almost objected because Michael usually sat next to him before recalling that Michael wouldn't be there.

"He just wanted to thank me for helping his brother out," Scorpius pointed out.

"Oh right. And why did you want to talk to Ashain's kids? They're awful bratty."

"Find out more about Professor Ashain's supposed insanity," Scorpius lied easily, he was curious about it anyway but he didn't think the two would know any more than they'd said, "I don't really want him to be insane."

"Probably just stress, his wife did leave him and stuff," Albus shrugged dismissively as the professor joined them.

Professor Ashain must've been in his quarters because his office had been where the kids had gone and all came back out, Cassia looking less happy as if she'd been told off. They went over to sit down at the table off to the side and get on with whatever work they seemed to be doing, although Cassia again seemed to pay more attention to her father. Scorpius saw immediately what they'd meant.

Professor Ashain's eyes didn't stop moving, darting crazily around like he was trying to look at everything at once before he'd even opened his mouth. He couldn't keep still either, fidgeting, twitching, making an unusual amount of gestures - even by Calderon's standards - and ultimately pacing. He gave a rapid speech about Stunning, tumbling over the words as if they couldn't get out of his mouth fast enough and demanding at random intervals that they take notes. He seemed to realize they couldn't keep up though and gave them a chapter to read on the spell, take notes from that. He didn't stop pacing though, if anything he only moved faster for the entire lesson. He only stopped when the lesson ended, not seeming slightly out of breath. If anything, he was the picture of health. Scorpius was reminded of his behavior the previous year after Christmas but this was... worse somehow. Maybe Albus was right, stress affected everyone different... Didn't it?

He did practice with Albus and the others in the free time before Divination with the blind teacher. Elina's Divination lesson was strange without Michael, Knight - who also took Divination - let him sit with him so he wasn't sitting sadly alone. Knight was quite talkative in a friendly sort of way, although it did make it hard to concentrate on the refreshing what they'd done last year. It wasn't a test exactly but she wanted to see where they all where before moving onto new things, it was only a single lesson anyway. After lunch was the dreaded double Charms, where they started the practical work on the Summoning Charm and Grant continued his pseudo-niceness. It was trickier than most and took most of the lesson for Scorpius to get it, it was a good thing he did because he felt like tearing the damn pillow apart if it was going to wait more. Potions was after that, another speech on needing to work hard that year and recapping. Care of Magical Creatures, drawing the Nifflers and taking notes then finally Herbology with Professor Longbottom still seeming unhappy.

Scorpius was oddly annoyed, he'd been dying to come back to Hogwarts all summer. Couldn't everything just be normal? He knew that was unfair but he was tired, there was enough to worry about with the Soul Eaters then everyone being weird. He was still getting looks too, dirty looks from random people that he didn't even know and some he did know. Stupid werewolf prejudice.

At least Michael was back that night, already in bed when they got back from dinner. He was still looking tired and seemed quite quiet but fatigue did that to you, hopefully he'd been feeling tomorrow. At least he was back. The looks were even worse the next day, some of them looked positively murderous as they glared at Michael. When they threw those kind of looks at Michael, he'd throw the most venomous look that he could back. Knight was true to his word about thanking Michael before breakfast, not seeming to care that Michael was a werewolf. One on their side was better than none, he supposed.

"It was awesome," Albus finished at breakfast, having been recounting what Cassia had done with the birds as the post arrived.

"Did you notice anything weird about Professor Ashain over the summer?" Scorpius asked, recalling the professor's odd behavior and elaborated. Much to Albus' chagrin as it took the wind out of his bird story, however they were all distracted by looking at their mail which Scorpius would get to in a minute.

"He wasn't like that over the summer," Michael explained, still looking weak and something else occurred to him, "If anything, he was kind of the opposite. Upset about his wife I guess but keeping a brave face for the kids."

"Michael, why don't you have any mail?" Scorpius wondered curiously, having expected him to be getting things now that Bob was in jail.

"He never gets mail," Albus pointed out as if it was obvious.

"That was before."

"Well Crystal's stuck in a muggle hospital so she won't have access to owls," Michael offered with a shrug, "I hope she doesn't contact me. She's better off without me, she should just take the little ones and have a fresh, safe start. Without the baggage of a dangerous werewolf."

"Crystal's sick?" Albus said with a scowl to which Michael just nodded.

"That's a horrible thing to think!" Rose protested but Scorpius decided to just let it slide, not wanting to veer off topic.

"What about Jack? Doesn't he contact you?" Scorpius questioned, having expected him too.

"Nope," Michael shook his head, "I haven't heard anything from him since the day I left. So much for all that crap about being a better Dad, told you."

Scorpius had expected more from Jack, it put him in an unhappy mood for the rest of the day. Tuesday was even worse lesson-wise and seemed determined to get him down further, Herbology was a double first thing but there was no practical which was disappointing as that was Scorpius' favorite thing about the lesson. Being followed by a double History of Magic didn't help and Scorpius couldn't help but notice that Michael didn't have his usual enthusiasm for the subject, any of the subjects even and didn't take his usual notes either. Maybe it was his tiredness from the transformation still but Scorpius had a feeling it was more than that. At least he could sit with Michael at Divination, even if they were still recapping but Scorpius realized that they were getting no nasty looks from Knight or his Slytherin friends. That was something good at least.

His sliver of a good mood was killed by Transfiguration, Midas again had Michael sit separate and again had his sleeve pulled down an unnecessary length to make the black werewolf bracelet even more visible. Bitch. Scorpius was glad Cassia had taken a disliking to her for whatever reason. It was another boring lesson where she spoke to them in an unbelievably patronizing way. Scorpius did notice something odd though, most than once he thought he saw Michael talking to _himself_. At first he'd thought that he'd imagined it, Michael was doing it quietly and discretely, seeming to be whispering. But it happened more than once, he kept his right hand clenched the entire time as he talked to no one. Scorpius sighed inwardly to himself, not even a week back and things were already weird. How he hoped it was just stress.


	13. IV: In Anger

_**Thanks to:** Winged-pather1, Faded Into the Dawn, A Guest, Aya Diefair and Lucifersdaughter for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Will we get to see Michael talking to Nick during Transfiguration in Michael's POV soon?_**  
_Yes, you will get to see more Michael's POV soon (probably next one) but not this chapter_

**_Also, will people lighten up about the werewolf thing and stop being so mean to Michael soon?_**  
_Sorry, I can't really say_

**_Will we see any more of Professor Ashain's wife?_**  
_Maybe, probably not this book  
_

**_Aw are Carver n James gonna get 2gether? _**  
_Maybe, if James ever realizes he's gay_

**_Is Grant based off snape? Loyal but an ass? _**  
_Originally he wasn't but later yeah I did make them similiary bad but not evil because being a bad person doesn't necessarily make you evil although they are pretty different in regards to pretty much everything else about thier characters_

**_And will we get to see from Dracos point of view sometime so we get to see why hes so for holding his son aganist his will? _**  
_I wasn't going to but I might if people are interested after the new Malfoy child is born_

* * *

_Alzay was dumped into a foster family that she hated, half-bloods both of them who frequently told her off for her beliefs about blood supremacy. She knew she was right though and who were they to criticize her? She was a pureblood while they were only half that. They knew nothing. She tried writing to her father but every owl came back with a note from the Ministry insisting prisoners were not allowed mail, she thought this was incredibly unfair. Especially in a new Ministry that was supposedly all about tolerance and fair rights, how was this fair for her father and the others in Azkaban? It wasn't._

_She had never been much of a crier but she allowed herself to cry for Rathan that week, she just wanted her dad back so badly. It was painful going from feeling so loved and having everything she'd wanted to having nothing. No toys or books or clothes she liked, no one to hug her when she was sad. She missed her dad so much it physically hurt, she clung to the pictures she had of the pasty black-haired man with oceanic eyes as a lifeline and dreamed of the day they'd be reunited while her mother burned in agony for her crimes. Everything would be okay then. She'd have back the life she craved._

_Alzay was very glad that she only had a few months before Hogwarts and even more pleased when she could finally start, she thought her foster family was pleased too. She sat by herself on the train, asking those who wished to join the compartment if they were purebloods seemed to other them for some reason. Alzay didn't understand why, she wasn't going to sit with mudblood filth if she could help it. She unfortunately had no choice on the boats but a loathsome look encouraged the others to leave her be. Seeing Hogwarts was a very bittersweet moment, it was a beautiful sight but also the place Rathan had been arrested and hauled off. Damn Aurors. She wasn't nervous though for the Sorting, she knew where she'd be and the Hat must've known it too because it had barely touched her head before it screamed 'Slytherin'. She was overjoyed to get her father's house but was kind of disappointed to not have gotten to hear the Hat speak to her personally, maybe it didn't do that anymore._

_The Sorting was rather boring after that, sitting and clapping mechanically through the names when they came to Slytherin. The ceremony was halted further when a boy - Roman Rivers - had a panic attack and passed out after the Hat declared him a Slytherin, he had to be taken to the Hospital Wing and they didn't continue until he was gone. It was most irritating, Alzay was ashamed that the boy had gotten Slytherin, the house of her father deserved better. She had to also sit through a boring speech from the Headmistress McGonagall, explaining there'd be extra students in each year because all the muggle-borns had to take the year they'd missed. Alzay thought they should just have stayed out. After an admittedly delicious meal - far better than the tasteless crap her foster family provided - they were shown to the dormitories by the two Fifth Year prefects, Lark Bishop and some guy. Lark was easily the nicer of the two, although Alzay thought her name was stupid._

_Alzay quickly came to realize that Hogwarts was no longer the same as how her father had described it, things were different in the wake of the Second Wizarding War. Slytherins had fallen about as far from grace as they could fall, many had relatives who had been Death Eaters and even those that didn't were guilty from being in the house of cowardice and evil. Alzay thought this was completely unfair, not all Slytherins were cowards and evil was subjective. But still, Slytherins were treated like garbage. Having to endure dirty looks, insults, mockery, being spat on and even outright bullying from all three of the other houses. Not even the Slytherin prefects were respects, frequently being ignored by the houses and even picked on themselves._

_She saw one of the Slytherin male prefects jinxed from behind which caused him to fall down an entire flight of stairs, unable to get up from the jinx and the onlookers just laughed and his attacker actually walked over him. No one helped him up. She saw Lark being physically beaten by two Seventh Years as well, one having twisted her wand arm - with wand in hand - behind her back while the other could punch. The teachers discouraged this but it still happened. Students were angry about losing loved ones to Death Eaters and taking it out on Slytherins, Alzay thought this was very hypocritical, they preached goodness and tolerance but deep down were just as 'bad' as everyone else. People could be vicious to those they hated, even if they were nice to others. Not everyone was like this admittedly but those that didn't take part rarely did anything to stop it, acting indifferently regardless of their personal feelings. Those with family, friends or were dating someone in Slytherin tended to be the only ones who would try to stop the bullying. Mostly though, Slytherins just had to stand alone._

_Alzay was no exception. She wasn't one to back down or back away, she also wasn't one to give up. She poured over books on defensive magic and practiced relentlessly in every second of spare time she didn't spend on homework, nagged the Defense Against the Dark Arts for any sliver of advice to improve and dedicated the holiday breaks to staying in Hogwarts to improve. It still wasn't perfect but by Christmas, First, Second and even Third Years - unless they were especially skilled - couldn't touch her. By Easter, she could hold her own against Fourth and Fifth Years too - unless they were especially skilled - and by the time her First Year was up, people tended generally to leave her alone because she was just more trouble than she was worth when there were plenty of other Slytherins to torment. It didn't bother her as much as some, the insults didn't bother her because she didn't care what they thought when she knew she was right and in a way, she liked the challenge and she always found some way to get back at the ones who did hassle her. Making them trip down stairs or slipping a Swelling Solution into their morning pumpkin juice, it served them right for hurting her._

_She also realized that this gave her a sudden swell in popularity for her Second Year, people who had previously thought her beliefs were too dangerous were now interested in befriending her in the hopes of being picked on less. Alzay reluctantly allowed it, she had been too focused on improving to really bother in the First Year but she didn't want to be weird and friendless like Rivers. She still put more stock in her studies than her social life though, her friends only seemed interested in tedious things like how they looked or Quidditch or what they wore or how cute certain boys were which were not really things Alzay saw the point off. She looked how she looked, if people didn't like it then it wasn't her problem and they wore uniform most of the time so what did it matter what they wore? She didn't understand the appeal of Quidditch and boys... well Alzay wasn't there yet, kissing still seemed icky to her. None of that was going to get her father out of Azkaban anyway, studying and absorbing as much knowledge as she could would help though. That was what mattered._

* * *

Scorpius realized that he might have overreacted with his concerns. Professor Ashain gradually seemed to return more to normal as the weeks wore on, whatever Marigold had done seemed to be working. And Michael only spoke to himself during his isolation in Transfiguration, probably just to kill the hours of tedious studying what they'd already been taught. Midas was awful, she preached tolerance but isolated Michael and always pulled his sleeve down unnecessarily far to make his bracelet obvious. A couple of times, she even pulled his sleeve down when she passed him at meals. Scorpius quickly came to hate her as much as he hated Grant.

Life soon settled in routine of classes and flying practice mostly, the teachers weren't shy about piling on the work despite it only being the very start of the year. However it did seem to be more a problem than usual, Michael's interest in his schoolwork had died. He frequently claimed it was pointless and that he simply couldn't do it, it was a grueling process to get him to do anything at all. Michael could be stubborn. He also seemed withdrawn, not speaking or smiling as much and even getting angry for little reason. He did apologize immediately after though.

"It's okay, mate. You just picked a bad time to become a werewolf," Albus pointed out after one such outburst over something trivial in the Library on Friday of the second week, "Your body adapting to being freshly turned and teenage hormones are a bad combination. I won't let your little furry problem come between us."

"Erm... Thanks, Albus," Michael offered and relaxed, drifting into sarcasm, "Next time I'm going to be bitten by a werewolf, I'll be sure to tell them to wait until I'm no longer a teenager."

"Exactly!" Albus grinned and Michael rolled his eyes.

"And do you have to call it my 'little furry problem'? It makes it sound like I have a badly behaved rabbit or something. It's more like a _big_ furry problem."

"All the more reason to call it 'little' so it doesn't seem so bad."

"But it is bad."

"What idiot thought up 'little furry problem' anyway?" Rose complained.

"That would be me," Albus announced proudly, "I for one, think it's quite clever. No one else would've ever have thought about it."

"Because you're an idiot?" Corin wondered smugly.

"I don't actually care what you think, I'm just so happy for the tryouts tomorrow. I've never felt more confident, this is the year that I make the team. I can feel it," Albus announced brightly, the tryouts were Saturday afternoon since Pentakel had beaten Molly to the morning slot.

"Good luck, Al," Vern offered with an encouraging smile, "I'm sure we'll all do great."

"Shut up, Vern," Albus complained.

"There was actually something I was wondering if I could ask your advice for something?"

"Nope."

"I meant just kind of everyone," Vern pointed and Albus sighed as he gestured for him to continue, "It's about Hogsmeade. There's this girl I like and I want to ask her out to Hogsmeade, I jus-"

"Silly Vern," Albus laughed randomly, "You're too young to like girls."

"I'm thirteen," Vern protested.

"Who's this girl anyway? Non-existia Imaganiaryson?"

"No! She's real."

"What's her name then?"

"I-I'd rather not say," Vern admitted hesitantly as he shifted nervously, "You'll laugh at me."

"He already did," Rose pointed out.

"Well now I'm curious, why would I laugh?" Albus wondered enthusiastically, "What's wrong with her? Is she fat? Ugly? Fat and ugly and smells like cat pee? Is she like a girl version of Latimer?"

"Latimer's _so_ ugly, why would you want to date a girl who looks like him?"

"No!" Vern burst out defensively, "There's nothing wrong with her, and she's really nice and pretty. And stop picking on Latimer!"

"I know who she is, she's a real person," Orous added.

"Well you could be lying to cover for him. Anyone that you like?" Albus complained and Orous shook his head, "Good because you look really weird, you're going to die alone."

"I know," Orous admitted quietly and sadly.

"You know, speaking of Hogsmeade," Rose spoke up before anyone could defend Orous' albinism, twirling her hair nervously, "Are you allowed to go this year, Michael? Because... Because I was thinking that we could go together.

"Yep," Michael answered simply without looking up from the work he was doing and Rose's face lit up, quickly to be crushed as he continued, "But I'm not going."

"Why?" Rose wondered, looking upset and Michael slammed the textbook shut irritably.

"Why would I want to go back to the place that I became a werewolf?" Michael demanded as he packed up his things, "See you later, I want to shower before dinner."

"I bet he looks nice in the shower..." Rose mused and Maurice promptly whacked her with a text book, "Ow! What the hell is wrong with you?! That hurt!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Maurice countered angrily as Rose rubbed her head, "There's a war going on! We're all soldiers and you people should be focusing on defense not the opposite sex! Grow up!"

"You grow up, you're the one acting childish," Rose complained as Maurice simply rolled his eyes and left, "Is it weird that I think he sounds hot when he's angry?"

"Very weird. There is something very wrong with you and also I think he gave you a concushion," Albus commented with a scowl.

"I don't think that's the right word," Scorpius pointed out, he was pretty sure it was concussion.

"You know what I mean."

"Should we go after him?" Orous wondered worriedly.

"Best leave him alone when he gets like that," Corin shrugged, "No one really wants to get talked to when they storm off in a rage."

"So, Al, are you going to ask out your newest supposed true love?" Abby asked half-curiously and half-sarcastically.

"Yeah!" Albus announced excitedly, "It's exciting having found my true soul mate to be the same age as I am."

"She's two years older than you."

"Better than twenty years older," Rose pointed out.

"I'm going to write her a poem to express my love and ask her out in poetry, its romantic and clever and girls dig that stuff. She's totally going to say yes, what girl could resist the charm of a Potter?"

"A lot?" Orous guessed.

"Quiet you."

* * *

_Alzay's life soon settled into a routine for the next few years, keeping bullies at bay, dealing with her tedious friends, studying hard and spending free time researching or practicing defensive magic. When Hogsmeade visits opened up, she spent the time mostly scouring bookshops to feed her thirst for knowledge. It wasn't until her Fourth Year that she understood what the appeal of boys was, she didn't change her stance on her appearance however but she did alter her stance on clothes slightly, trying to dress nice for dates because she had plenty of suitors. It was nice to have a break and relax a bit although she never let her guard down completely, however it also made her realize something odd about herself. She had a very hard time feeling attached to people, her friends could be in pieces over boys they'd dated for a day but Alzay struggled to feel anything._

_She enjoyed the physical affection like kissing, compliments and gifts from her dates but she didn't feel anything for them. She felt nothing if they broke up her beyond mild annoyance at having to find someone else, she didn't even feel anything when one of her boyfriends cheated on her. In fact, she didn't even feel any friendship to her supposed friends, they could die tomorrow and she wouldn't lose sleep over it. This really bothered her but the more she tried to feel attached to the people in her life, the more she realized that she didn't. She cared more about the owl that her idiotic foster family had gotten her than the people in her life combined, she didn't know why but she couldn't do anything about it. Maybe she was so used to seeing people as tools that she'd stopped seeing them as people, maybe there was something wrong with her, maybe everyone felt like this and she was overreacting... It stumped her completely. She never said anything though, there was no one she ever spoke to honestly about things that bothered her, she trusted no one but her father in that way. She was very much a loner._

_She didn't let her dating get in the way of her studies though, she'd taken every elective except Muggle Studies - knowing mudbloods were wife-staling garbage and muggles not much better was all she needed to know - and got Outstandings in all eleven of the OWL subjects. She took NEWTs in subjects she considered the most useful more so than for an career basis, she considered the core subject the most important - even the incredibly boring History of Magic - but also thought Care of Magical Creatures and Study of Ancient Runes could be useful too. Ultimately sacrificing Astronomy for Runes which she deemed the most important, Defense Against the Dark Arts covered creatures too except from a defensive standpoint which seemed more useful. Sixth Year was also a very important year beyond NEWTs, apparition for one thing and her turning seventeen for another._

_Coming of age would finally give her access to her father's wealth, he hadn't had a lot but it would hopefully be enough for her to move away from her foster family. It also finally meant she'd be free of the Trace, free to track down her mother and enact her revenge for destroying her and Rathan's lives. She still remembered the address from when she'd seen it in the Ministry, if they weren't home then she simply needed to try a different day and if they'd moved then it would require more effort. But hopefully, things would go to plan. Even better was that her birthday fell in the winter holidays, she'd turn of age while on break. She spent Christmas with her foster family the previous year in preparation, it would seem less suspicious to do so again._

_The main problem was getting there, she'd be learning Apparition but not until after Christmas. Using the Knight Bus or Floo Powder would mean others could place her there, she could fly but she didn't have a broom nor any particular skill or affinity for with it. She saw only one option, to create a Portkey. It was illegal of course but so was everything else that she wanted to do, if she was caught and imprisoned then at least she'd be with her father again. She was prepared to suffer the consequences of her actions if she was stupid enough to fail._

_She researched everything she could about Portkeys and about the darker side of magic, NEWT level students had access to the Restricted Section which opened up a whole new wealth of knowledge. Enacting it was the hard part. Christmas Day, 2003. Alzay waited until the celebrations were over, the present opening and the Christmas dinner with her foster family were past. Then it was time. She bade her foster family goodnight and headed upstairs to her room, locking it in case they came looking for her and found her gone. Alzay took a bauble from the tree to use as a Portkey, she thought it was sentimentally perfect in an ironic way. Christmas was supposed to be the time for family but Adelaide had abandoned hers, it made sense to her anyway. She knew the spell had to have worked to some degree because of the blue glow, she could only hope it was to the right location._

_Alzay took a deep breath before taking hold of the bauble. In the next second, she was hurtling through space but managed to land with dignity. She found herself in a muggle street, she knew this from the moving metal boxes they called cars that were scattered around unmoving outside houses. Everything was covered in a thin film of snow, the cold breeze curled around her but she didn't shiver. She was already too cold to feel it. Alzay looked around, searching for the right number. She found the right house before she saw the number though, catching sight of her mother through one of the windows. Adelaide was dancing with the mudblood she recognized vaguely, his curly hair was graying now and he was also wearing spectacles, both looked a decade older. They were laughing. She bet her father wasn't laughing now, trapped alone. Feeling her anger resurfacing and igniting the fire of fury in her veins, Alzay stalked over to the door and hammered her fist onto it. A second later, Adelaide Hunt answered the door. Still smiling. She bet her father wasn't smiling either. And it was all Adelaide's fault._

_"May I help you with something?" Adelaide asked cheerfully._

_"Don't you recognize your own daughter?" Alzay questioned with curiosity and the joy drained with the color from the elder woman's face, "Hello, Mother."_

* * *

Scorpius was nervous about the tryouts, not for his own position but for Albus. Albus was certainly eager and in a good mood for it and spoke essentially non-stop about it all morning, Scorpius hoped for his sake that it would go well. After lunch, he, Albus and Michael headed to the pitch to try out while Rose, Abby and Corin joined them to watch from the stands for moral support. The crowd was smaller than it had been last year but bigger than it had been for Molly's first year as Captain, they seemed to universally eye Michael with a look of disgust. Molly was already there, Scorpius hadn't seen her at lunch.

"H-Hey Michael," Roxy greeted Michael with a nervous smile and Scorpius recalled that she'd liked Michael the previous year, "How are you?"

"Been better, been worse," Michael shrugged obliviously, "You?"

"What are we? Potted plants?" Albus complained at being ignored by his cousin.

"Alright, everyone," Molly cleared her throat and addressed the assembled students, "Another year, another tryout. We will probably be keeping the majority of the team the same so mostly this is just for reserves."

"I have a question," someone with a stern expression called out, Scorpius thought he was a Fifth Year.

"Okay."

"Is the werewolf going to be on the team?" the boy asked and there was a murmuring of agreement from those around him, Molly just blinked in shock.

"If he is then I don't want to tryout," a girl in Sixth or Seventh Year added, "I don't want to be attacked again."

"I don't want to be diseased," added another.

"Plus it'd miss loads of practices and matches anyone," a fourth agreed.

"Hey!" Scorpius snapped angrily, "Don't talk that way about my friend!"

"Well you would be okay with it," the first boy sneered, "Being a Malfoy and all, I'm sure your family is well versed with dealing with creatures of the dark."

"You better shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!" Albus yelled in a growl and the crowd descended into arguing over werewolves, everyone but Michael.

"Everyone shut your mouths!" Molly shouted over them with a high-pitched whistle reminiscent of Calderon, it was irritatingly effective. Which was probably why she'd done it, "And everyone who has a problem with werewolves on the team, get out. This is the Gryffindor Quidditch _team_ and requires some semblance of unity so anyone who isn't prepared to put yourselves behind each other, regardless of condition, blood status, family history, skin color or whatever other stupidly prejudiced thing you could have a problem with then get out. You're not welcome on my team."

"That's not fair!" protested the first boy.

"I'm the Captain! My team, my rules," Molly insisted and to Scorpius' surprise, everyone started filing out.

"Fuck's sake!" Michael spat and threw down the school broom he'd been going to use to practice, momentarily giving everyone pause, some even eyed him fearfully as if expecting him to attack them, "Fine! I quit the team, the werewolf's gone! Are you fucking happy now?!"

"Michael-" Scorpius started to protest but Michael was already storming off while the crowd turned back hopefully to Molly.

"My rules remain," Molly told them darkly.

The crowd angrily dispersed, muttering under their breaths about Molly and werewolves. Within a few minutes, there were only twelve students still standing there and most of them part of the Weasley/Potter clan. Along with Scorpius there was Molly, Albus, Roxy, Freddie, Louis and Lily, there was also Latimer, Freddie's girlfriend Caitlin and James' friend Carver. Carver's stance was surprising but then, Scorpius thought his reasons for hating Michael had started long before he became a werewolf. The only person who Scorpius didn't know was a scrawny looking First Year who was grinning from ear to ear. Molly sighed.

"You realize he's coming back when he's calmed down, right?" Molly told the boy.

"I don't care, ma'am," the boy promised in his squeaky voice eagerly, nodding his head vigorously and brimming with delight at making the team.

"What's your name?"

"Rufus Rhett."

"Rufus the doofus," Carver muttered with a mocking smirk that went unnoticed, Molly sighed again.

"Okay this year, we're just having one reserve for each position then. Alright, who wants to be Seeker?" Molly asked, Scorpius and Lily raised their hands, "Scor, you're Seeker and Lil, you're reserve again. Who wants to be Beater?"

"I do!" Carver offered eagerly as he, Freddie and Roxy all put their hands into the air, clearly liking his chances against Roxy.

"Alright, Freddie and Roxy are Beaters because you work well together. Carver, you're reserve. Who wants to be Chaser?" Molly continued and Latimer, Caitlin, Louis and Albus all raised their hands.

"Cait!" Freddie hissed desperately, "We talked about this!"

"It's my last year, I don't have to miss all the matches," Caitlin insisted, throwing him a slightly hurt look, "There's plenty of time, stop worrying so much."

"Alright, Latimer and Caitlin are Chasers along with Michael when he comes back-"

"What if he doesn't?" Carver interrupted and Molly frowned, "He clearly didn't seem interested anymore. Don't you think you should give it to Jay's brother? You're being unfair to give him a spot when he's not here."

"He clearly seemed upset because people were insulting him. Do you _want_ to be on the team?" Molly demanded and Carver fell silent at once, "And Louis, you're reserve. If Michael does decide to not play then Latimer, Caitlin and Louis are the team with Albus as the reserve. That better?!"

"Slightly."

"So what position did you want then, Rufus Rhett?" Molly asked of the little First Year, who hadn't lost his grin.

"Keeper," Rufus told her excitedly and Molly nodded content.

"Alright, you're my reserve Keeper and I'm the Keeper," Molly finished and Rufus' grin actually managed to widen.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, ma'am!"

"No problem. You're all dismissed now, look out for practice times on the notice board," Molly commented and most people started filing off, except for Scorpius, Albus and Freddie. Scorpius because he always stayed back with Molly, Albus seemed upset and Freddie was urging his girlfriend that he'd catch up so Albus reached her first.

"Why couldn't you just let me be a reserve?!" Albus demanded as his eyes filled with tears, "You know I've gotten better! You know how badly I want this! You didn't even give us a chance to go in the air!"

"Because I've seen you all fly, except that new kid but my position isn't really up for grabs until I'm gone so it doesn't really matter," Molly pointed out and looked sympathetic, "I'm sorry, Al, the whole point of reserves is to help the team practice or to replace them if necessary. With so few people, I really need to focus on keeping them all good not training up reserves. Maybe things won't be so bad next year."

"Next year?! _Next year?!_" Albus spat as the tears seeped from his eyes, his voice cracking as he cried but he didn't seem to care, "That's what you always say! You're the worst cousin ever, Molly, I hate you! I _hate_ you."

"Al-" Molly tried to protest but Albus had already ran off sobbing, she didn't have a chance to draw breath before Freddie rounded on her.

"One thing!" Freddie yelled at her furiously, "I asked you for _one_ thing! One! You couldn't even do that for me?! Haven't I always helped you out?! You couldn't do one freakin' thing for me?!"

"If she wants to play then who am I to stop her?! She's good and you haven't even given me a coherent reason!"

"You shouldn't need a reason! You should just trust me!" Freddie screamed venomously, "You're an awful Captain and an awful cousin! Don't expect any favors from me ever again, don't expect anything from me, you... you traitor! I hate you so much right now! If anything happens then it's on you!"

"Freddie, I-" Molly opened her mouth but Freddie was already storming off in a rage, Molly sniffed and he realized she was on the verge of tears, "So does everyone just hate me now?"

"I don't," Scorpius promised as he hugged her and she clung to him for comfort, "I don't. You did the right thing, it'll be okay."


	14. IV: Moments

_**Thanks to:** Winged-panther1, Lucifersdaughter and Faded Into The Dawn for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Does Carver like James?_**  
_Carver is bisexual, he likes James as a person and considers him attractive but he doesn't have a crush on James. Right now he has a crush on a girl who he's going to ask to Hogsmeade_

**_And is she (Caitlin) pregnant?_**  
_You'll find out if she is or if it's something else at Christmas time (in-story)_

* * *

"I think I just made myself the most hated person in the universe again," Molly sighed sadly as they left the pitch hand in hand, walking around the grounds through the icy melancholic air, "I don't think there was any really good choice though. I mean, if I had done what Freddie had wanted then Caitlin would just hate me instead which I guess is better than my cousin but then it would feel like I was doing a bad thing for no good reason. And then with Al... I really did want him to be on the team but I also need to do what's best for the team, with less people you need to focus on improving them not improving the reserves, you need decently talented people to lean on. I hate being the bad guy but I have to think of the bigger picture.

"It's even worse for the team if Michael doesn't want to come back but if he's on the team or not, I meant what I said. I feel like I'd be selling my soul if I allowed those prejudiced people to get onto the team after practically bullying Michael off it, if I let them get away with it then it'd be like saying that I think it's acceptable how people are acting about werewolves but it's not. I'd hoped more people would stay_."_

"Me too," Scorpius admitted as they sat down under a tree together, gazing out into the lake.

"I'm sorry," Molly apologized with a blush, "I just veered off into a tangent again."

"It's okay, venting's good," Scorpius pointed out and put his arm instinctively to touch her shoulder comfortingly, "I don't mind listening."

"Thanks," Molly offered and leaned back against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Despite the situation, Scorpius smiled inwardly, he really liked being this close to her. He could smell the cherries in her hair, "So now, not only do James and Lucy hate me but Freddie and Albus. Possibly Louis too just out of loyalty to Freddie because they're close and Roxy out of loyalty to her brother, possibly Rose too out of loyalty to Albus because they're close and Lily out of loyalty to her brother. So out of twelve Weasley/Potter grandchildren - where one of them is me - there's only three who don't hate me."

"I'm sure they don't hate you, Albus just gets really emotional about this. He was a jerk to Michael when he first made Chaser, he'll get over it and there's always next year. Freddie, Caitlin and Louis will all be gone then so we'll have to get new players anyway. I don't know what's bothering Freddie so much but he's generally reasonable so hopefully he'll get over it, the others won't hate you from loyalty. You always have Orous and Maurice if you want extra cousins who don't hate you anyway."

"Doesn't Maurice just hate everyone?"

"No, he hates dating."

"Oh right, that sounds much more healthy," Molly pointed out with a hint of sarcasm and he pulled her closer, "You know those counselling sessions are starting next week? We were warned last night as prefects, they're putting up the notice tomorrow and the people arrive on Monday."

"How's it going to work?" Scorpius asked with curiosity and dread.

"There are seven of them, one for each year. They'll each be given an unused classroom with attached office and private quarters to use, much like the teachers have. There'll put up a list of times for students to attend the counselling sessions, everyone gets an hour and they break for meals the same as we do. They'll also do the staff but they didn't tell us anything about that. Missing your session will just get you an extra session and you will be allowed to leave for it during lessons, staff will be given a list of students who'll miss what class but some will be in free time and they're doing it on weekends too."

"I guess one hour isn't too bad," Scorpius said with a scowl, "Still hate it though."

"You'll actually get four sessions between now and Christmas break, once they've done everyone they will go through everyone again and again and a final fourth time. After Christmas, they'll still be there but only for those who they think need further counselling or those who request it."

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard," Scorpius complained irritably, "It's the stupidest cover to pry information out of people ever, how can anyone think it's a good idea?"

"I don't know, everyone being possessed or attacked at the memorial or attacked by werewolves in Hogsmeade could be construed as traumatic, plenty of people have lost people. I do think they have an ulterior motive for it though, my dad warned me to be very careful what I say to them."

"Was going to do that anyway," Scorpius admitted.

The conversation dwindled for a while, they just sat there silently. Scorpius didn't mind it, the wind didn't bother him when they were cuddled so close together for warmth. He didn't like water admittedly but it was alright and even beautiful from that distance beneath the shade of the tree, the sky was golden from the light of the sun edging closer to setting. In that moment, the chaos of the world didn't matter and he could just relax for a moment and take comfort from being there with Molly. Happy moments seemed increasingly fleeting, he thought it was good to hold onto them while he could because it wouldn't last.

"You know, there was something I've been meaning to ask you about," Molly spoke abruptly and jolted him from his thoughts.

"What is it?" Scorpius asked, already having a feeling that he knew what it was about.

"When we were attacked in Hogsmeade... You went and got Varanian and... I know he's innocent and I knew you needed to get to him, sometimes I just know things but I don't know any more than that really. So... How... How does it work with you and Varanian?"

"There's kind of... kind of a lot to that question."

"Don't you trust me?" Molly wondered, sounding genuinely curious rather than upset as she pulled away from the first time to look at him, Scorpius felt the cold where she'd used to be, "I could have told on you being in contact with Varanian months ago, I know he's innocent and I'm not going to say anything."

"I do trust you, it's just... You know there's truth serum and legillimancy and stuff, the less people who know the better. I don't want to put Varanian more at risk or you at risk for knowing."

"You and Michael know though."

"I- How do you know that Michael knows?"

"I told you, I know things sometimes. Part of the whole Seer thing."

"No one else knows but me and Michael though."

"I want to help too, Scor," Molly told him seriously, "In a few years I'll be out of school and I want to help in the fight against the Soul Eaters, people are involved who I care about and they've killed people I care about. Those bastards killed my _mother, _right in front of me. I don't just want to sit at the sidelines and watch things unfold while people I care about are risking their lives. Can you at least think about it for a while? If you still think no and decide then I won't hold it against you, you have to do what you think is right but please give it more than two seconds of thought. Would it really be the worst thing in the world if I knew?"

"I'll think about it," Scorpius promised hesitantly and Molly smiled before leaning forward to press her lips against his for a long lingering kiss.

"It's nearly dinner, I want to get changed out of Quidditch clothes before then so I'm heading in," Molly said when she pulled away.

"Good plan," Scorpius agreed and stood, offering her his hand which she took and he pulled her up. Maybe with a bit too much force as he lost his balance a bit and they both nearly fell, instead Molly fell into him though. He steadied them and she laughed as he blushed while smiling sheepishly, he tried to make it seem less embarrassing by encircling his arms around her. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and he leaned in for another kiss, when he pulled away, he spoke in a whisper, "Whatever I decide, it really has nothing to do with how I feel about you. You're just amazing and perfect and beautiful, just being around you makes me happier. I feel so lucky to be with you, the moments we have together are some of the ones I cling to most."

"You can be really sweet, you know that?" Molly whispered as she blushed and hugged him close, "Don't ever let go."

* * *

_"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Alzay asked icily, Adelaide didn't seem to know what to say. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no words came out, "I'll take that as a yes."_

_"Alexis," Adelaide finally managed to say in a strangled croak as Alzay barged past her mother to enter, she felt a jolt of anger at the use of her name. Even her foster family knew she preferred Alzay to Alexis, knew that she preferred the name her father had given her but her own mother didn't. Adelaide tried to smile, "You... You got grown."_

_"And you got fat," Alzay threw back truthfully, Adelaide did seem more rotund then in her memories, "I came of age yesterday, did you know that?"_

_"Of course, you were born on Christmas Eve. Happy Birthday. And Happy Christmas," Adelaide offered nervously, "What did... I mean, did you want something?"_

_"That eager to be rid of your own child?"_

_"Who is it, dear?" the mudblood asked as he came out from the kitchen with a look of bemusement when he laid eyes on her._

_"My name is Alzay Loren, your wife's daughter," Alzay introduced herself and the mudblood looked stunned, maybe she'd make him stunned, "Stupefy!"_

_Her wand was in her hand in an instant, the couple had no time to react as the mudblood was struck with practiced precision and thrown violently back into the front room. He'd only get in the way. Adelaide screamed and tried to run to her husband's side, Alzay strode in after with her wand trained on her mother that gave the older woman pause. Adelaide eyed the wand fearfully._

_"Why did you do that? What do you want?" Adelaide wailed, looking rather pathetic._

_"What do I want?" Alzay sneered angrily, "My father. To have grown up with a mother but you took both of those things away from me! So now I want revenge."_

_"How did I take Rathan away from you?! I had nothing to do with him becoming a Death Eater, I don't even buy that wrongful, narrow-minded spiel about blood purity!"_

_"If you hadn't left then he wouldn't have become a Death Eater!" Alzay screamed furiously, "If you hadn't left then he wouldn't have wound up in Azkaban! If you hadn't left then he'd still be here! But you did leave! You walked away from your family, the man you agreed to stand by until death and your own flesh and blood child! You just left! Left us for that piece of filth! Was it worth it?! Was it?!"_

_"I love Stuart," Adelaide whispered as her eyes glanced to the unconscious man, "Please, we're happy. Don't hurt us."_

_"Loving garbage is disgusting, Rennervate!" Alzay snapped and aimed her wand at the mudblood, he came to and sat up slightly to straighten his glasses. When he saw her wand still on the pair, he looked suddenly afraid, "Do you really love him, Mother?"_

_"Yes!" Adelaide protested and Stuart looked at his wife lovingly, "More than anything! I'm sorry that it hurt you-"_

_"I loved my father," Alzay interrupted darkly and her wand locked unforgivingly onto the mudblood, "Avada Kedavra!"_

_There was a blinding flash of green that seemed to fill the room from corner to corner, Adelaide screamed but it was no use. The powerful magic burst from her wand and collided with the mudblood, who still was only half-sitting. It felt almost surreal as the light struck the living, breathing person but it was a corpse that fell back onto the floor. Adelaide ran to him sobbing, clinging to the corpse desperately._

_"WHY?!" Adelaide cried as she cradled her husband's body, "Why, Alexis?! Why!? Why would you do that?!"_

_"Now you know what it's like to lose someone you love!" Alzay yelled, feeling an utter lack of sympathy. She didn't feel guilty when she killed a fly that was buzzing around annoyingly, why should she feel anything for the mudblood? And she didn't. She didn't regret it, "I couldn't send him to Azkaban but this is the next best thing! That's what it feels like, that's what it feels like to lose the one person in the world who matters to you and that's what you did to me! It's all your fault."_

_"Are you going to kill me too?" Adelaide asked in a whisper, her eyes swelling in terror._

_"Maybe," Alzay shrugged truthfully, not sure what she really wanted to do now. Maybe letting her live with the loss of the mudblood was better than taking her life but then she was a witness and could just have Alzay arrested, killing her mother was also different to killing a mudblood but she still wanted revenge._

_"Al-Alexis-"_

_"Alzay! What kind of fucking mother doesn't know their child's name?!"_

_"Y-You're not thinking about it from my perspective," Adelaide tried to continue tentatively, "I wasn't happy with Rathan, he didn't... didn't pay attention to me and he could just be difficult t-"_

_"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO BLAME IT ON HIM?!" Alzay screeched furiously and Adelaide cowered back fearfully, clinging tighter to her dead husband._

_"You're right, I was selfish and that was wrong. I wanted more excitement and adventure, I wasn't satisfied with just being a family with you and Rathan and that... that was wrong of me," Adelaide admitted, "But is it really so wrong? I'm only human. Leaving you was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, I just did what I thought was best for me and for you, I had no idea Rathan would end up in Azkaban. I just wanted to be happy, Stuart made me happy... Stuart... I'm so sorry, Stuart."_

_"If it was so hard then why did you turn your back on me for a second time?!" Alzay spat angrily, "You had a choice when Rathan went to Azkaban and you abandoned me again!"_

_"We talked about it, it... it just seemed easier to say no and you were starting Hogwarts that year so it wasn't even like you'd be home a lot. What did it matter where you lived three months out of the year?" Adelaide pointed out, "I'm sorry, I was selfish and I didn't realize how much it would hurt you... I never wanted that, I really didn't. Killing me isn't going to help though, it won't change the past and it won't change the present, Rathan will still be in Azkaban. Don't you think there's been enough death? You would really kill your own mother?"_

_"I..." Alzay began but didn't have a clue what she was going to do or say, anger pumped lazily through her but it shied back from her wand. Would killing her own mother make her just as bad as Adelaide for leaving? Or was it justified revenge? Did she really want her mother dead? Alzay started to lower her wand._

_"You're doing the right thing," Adelaide told her with a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Alexis."_

_"ALZAY!" Alzay screamed in frustration, anger jolting down her arm and snapping her wand back to her mother too, "Avada Kedavra!"_

_The jet of emerald shot from her wand, Adelaide's eyes widened just before she died as the jet struck her. The light vanished with her mother's life and everything was silent. Alzay was standing alone in a house with people she'd killed. Adelaide's eyes were still wide open. Why couldn't she just have known her daughter's name?_

_Alzay felt a flash of triumph, her father was avenged, and her mother had finally paid for her crimes. But the flash faded and revealed the emptiness left. Her father was still in Azkaban, her mother was as absent as ever. She was still alone. She tried to wipe away the tears but they just kept coming, her father had justice but it didn't bring him back. She just wanted her dad back, the weight of her grief brought her to her knees as the anger died, she cried. She just waited for the Aurors to come arrest her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad being locked up if she could just have her dad, she didn't want to be alone anymore. She just wanted her dad back._

_But the Aurors never came. Of course they wouldn't, they didn't immediately know when a crime had been committed or who had done it. Alzay wiped away her tears and picked herself up off the ground, she regretted killing her mother but she also thought she'd regret it more if she hadn't. If she could see through that first goal she'd made then she could see through the second, she could get her father back. Wordlessly, she went through the house all dressed up with decorations for Christmas. Like she and her father had done years before, she smashed every happy smiling photograph and anything that looked like it had meant something. Then she lit it all on fire and walked away like her mother had done, never looking back as she squeezed the bauble Portkey and returned to her room as if nothing had happened. But it had.  
_

* * *

Scorpius parted with Molly and headed up to his own dormitory to change as well, it was a good idea and with any luck he could talk to Michael because he had probably cooled off by now. There was one of his friends in the dormitory but it wasn't Michael, Albus lay alone with his head buried in his pillow.

"Hey," Scorpius greeted him and Albus looked up, his eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Where you were? With _her_?" Albus asked him darkly and Scorpius felt his defenses slam up, he felt bad that Albus hadn't gotten what he wanted but he was with Molly on it. His reaction and telling her he hated her, were completely out of line.

"Yes," Scorpius admitted and narrowed his eyes, "And you need to go and apologize to her."

"Apologize? She didn't let me be on the team!" Albus protested, anger in his voice but tears in his eyes.

"You told her that you hated her! That was completely out of line!"

"I do hate her! And I'm completely justified, how can you side with her?! She helped me practice just to shoot me down and stab me in the back at the last second!"

"You've improved a lot but Michael, Latimer, Caitlin and Louis are all simply just better than you, I've seen them practice and seen them play and I know this! Molly's just doing what's fairest and best for the team, you can't fault her for that!"

"The only reason you're not faulting her is a stupid, childish crush!" Albus yelled angrily.

"Hey! Just because you didn't get on the team is no reason to act like a jackass!" Scorpius snapped back.

"You wouldn't understand! You're good at freakin' everything and you don't even care what your parents think!" Albus cried as the tears started streaming from his eyes, "But I do! Everyone in my family is good at Quidditch, everyone, even Vern and he's not even really family! Everyone freakin' person! Except Lucy and that's just because she's a squib but if she wasn't then she'd probably be good too! Everyone is just naturally good but me, do you know what that feels like?! My Dad made the team in his first year, my Mum played professionally and I'm too worthless to even make a reserve?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE!?"

"No," Scorpius admitted as Albus continued through sobs.

"I-I'm n-not good at anything, I c-can't m-make the t-team, I c-can't c-cast a Patronus. Ev-Even James is g-good at sp-spells but I c-can't break average, ev-even if I do it doesn't matter be-because V-Vern or J-James or ev-even Lily can outshine me. I l-look so m-much like my Dad and I-I am s-so proud to be his s-son but I c-c-can't ev-even l-live up to it," Albus sobbed and Scorpius cautiously moved closer, "W-We're h-halfway th-through school now, ev-everyone one says th-there's just next y-year b-but I d-don't think I'll ev-ever be g-good en-enough and ev-eventually I'm g-going to r-run out of years. I j-just k-keep thinking that maybe, just maybe if I c-can m-make the t-team then my p-parents will f-f-finally ha-have something t-to be pr-proud of me for. M-M-Maybe D-Dad w-w-would f-f-finally w-want t-t-to spend t-time wi-with me ag-again."

"Molly said she'd let you on the team if Michael didn't, it shows you have a chance. Caitlin and Louis graduate this year so there is more chance," Scorpius offered, feeling sympathy despite still not liking how Albus had spoken to Molly.

"I c-can h-hardly a-ask M-M-Michael to q-quit. H-He's t-t-too good and h-he needs this, he g-gets so much crap f-from p-p-people f-for b-being a werewolf now and I k-know h-he's hurting. He sh-should h-h-have s-something g-good t-to cheer him up and I c-can't t-take that away from him, th-that's not what friends do to one another! Why c-couldn't she j-just let me on the team?"

"Yeah," Scorpius mumbled uncertainly, making the mistake of having moved too close to Albus' bed and he was pounced on. Albus clung to him and cried.


	15. IV: Wanderings

_**Thanks to:** Lucifersdaughter, Winged-panther1 and A Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Please say hes (Albus) going to have something nice happen to him?_**  
_Again there's some good and some bad but he will have a bigger role in this book_

**_Whose Vern's girl?_**  
_You'll find out soon, she's only been a minor character but she is a Slytherin so Vern's afraid of how Albus (being a Gryffindor) would react_

**_Is it just me or are there less typos in the recent chapters?_**  
_I hope so, I'm using a better spellchecker and trying to read it through it more thoroughly_

_**Author's Note:** Happy Holidays everyone!_

* * *

Michael stalked off from the pitch, his upset wrestling his anger while frustration watched over both of them. Just fed up with how people were about him being a werewolf, he noticed the looks he got too, the snide insults and a few times older students had even spat on him. It wasn't like he wanted to be a werewolf, if someone had a way to undo it then he'd take it with both hands. He hated being a werewolf enough without everything else that went with it. It hurt to think that the castle he'd once loved had become a prison he despised, and it was a prison. He'd need Wolfsbane for life, that was why he'd ran there in the first place because he was bound by the need for the potion. Or he'd risk hurting someone and as much as everyone bothered him, he didn't want to hurt them. It was just his luck, to become a monster but still have feelings.

And now he wouldn't even have Quidditch to try take his mind off things. He dipped his hands into his pockets miserably and found the stone, grasping it tightly as he was getting into the habit of doing from fear of losing it. He'd used it to talk to Nick in the past two weeks, he was pretty sure that it could probably summon other people but Nick had been the only one he'd attempted to talk to. He was too afraid of what his family would think if he tried to speak to any of them. He turned the stone over several times in his hand in his pocket to summon back his friend, Nick looked the same every time. Michael wished he could be there all the time, he felt guiltily whenever he let go. He remained while Nick was gone, Nick didn't deserve to be gone forever like that. However it was awkward to keep him around all the time, no one else could see or hear Nick so it would look like talking to himself which would have people doubting his sanity and he'd probably wind up losing the stone, thus killing Nick. He thought he was safe summoning him when he was alone though, or in Transfiguration when he had to sit alone.

"What's up?" Nick asked him cheerfully as they walked down the corridor, "Did you knock the others out of the sky and make the team?"

"No," Michael admitted.

"No?" Nick repeated incredulously, the surprise on his face until Michael explained what had happened, "Well you're only not on the team because you stormed off, just go back and tell Molly you want to be on the team after all. She's nice so she'll let you, plus you have talent so she'd be a fool to not let you and Molly's no fool. To hell with what those assholes think."

"I don't know, I don't want to cause trouble. Plus they do have a point, post-transformation I'm pretty useless for a few days."

"Come on, Michael, don't give up on me now," Nick pleaded, "It's Quidditch! We never got to play together and we never will... I want to you have my broom because you're flying for both of us now. Please."

"Really?"

"Michael?" a voice questioned.

Michael jumped so much he almost fell over. He hadn't even been paying attention to where he was going, let alone if he passing anyone. He realized the speaker was Mirra Pentakel, who he knew from her helping him with his homework. Not that he saw the point in trying now, he was a useless wizard and he always would be. He couldn't even cast Patronuses anymore. Maybe he should be more careful next time, get the Map out again. He wasn't sure if the Map was being faulty or his Dyslexia was just being unusually frustrating, he often looked over it when he had trouble sleeping - which was almost every night - and had seen someone in the Girl's Bathroom on the Second Floor. Myrtle was frequently there, he'd pegged her as the ghost from Albus' stories about his father's adventures but there was someone else. The name was near-impossible to make out, the letters seemed to shift dizzyingly and it only got worse. They always came to and from Ashain's office/private quarters though if he looked at the right time, none of the Ashains looked short of sleep though which was why he suspected a glitch.

"You know if you're that desperate for company, you could talk to me instead of yourself?" Mirra offered with a kindly smile.

"Err... Thanks, Mirra," Michael offered as he blushed at having been caught talking to 'himself'.

"So what's up?"

"You should ask her out," Nick told him with a grin.

"No I shouldn't," Michael complained to Nick but Mirra mistook it as talking to her, she looked slightly confused, "It's just Quidditch stuff and werewolf hating, there's not anything you could do about it."

"Yes you should, she is clearly sweet on you. You could do a lot worse and all these people giving you crap about being a werewolf limits your options, Mirra always seemed pretty kind and pretty hot too so what's there to think about?"

"I could always give whoever's hassling you detentions if it'd make you feel better?" Mirra offered while Michael let go of the stone in his pocket to vanish Nick because Michael could trip himself up by speaking to the... spirit?

"Thanks but unfortunately that's like ninety-nine percent of the school right now," Michael pointed out with a weak smile.

"Sorry," Mirra said sympathetically as they started walking off together, "So how did the tryouts go anyway?"

* * *

Scorpius could get Albus to admit that telling Molly he hated her was overreacting but he downright refused to tell Molly this, Freddie was still weirdly unforgiving and angry. On top of everything else, the looks that Michael - and his friends by association - got were now also being given to Molly for her stance at the tryouts. Ironically, they got more looks from their own house than they did from the others.

Quidditch practices were thankfully back on and Michael was attending again as well, it was a different dynamic with less people though. Freddie was also obsessively paranoid about his girlfriend, firing Bludgers away from her like a fiend and screaming at Carver and even his sister on one occasion for firing a Bludger that had nearly hit her, he also frequently criticized Michael, Latimer and even Louis - who he was close to - for being too 'rough' with Caitlin. Until Molly threatened to kick him from the team anyway, since then he just glared. At least Scorpius was still spending time with Molly again, he always stayed back to help back up so they could talk and hold hands.

Molly had also been right about the counselors, Elwood had introduced them on Monday briefly and the lists were on the notice board with names, dates, times and locations. Scorpius was one of the last in his year for his session which wasn't until October and Michael was actually the last one in their year - for Gryffindor anyway, it didn't show the other houses or the staff - and Maurice was also in that last week but before the both of them. Albus and Rose had theirs in the first week - Rose was the only person overjoyed that hers was on a weekend to not miss any classes - as did Freddie, Louis, Caitlin, Carver and Lysander who he knew. Molly, Abby, Corin and Latimer would have theirs in the second week along with Lily - she was less pleased about getting hers on a weekend, he thought Harry wouldn't like the language his daughter had used to express this - and Roxy who he also knew. Orous also said he was in the last week and Vern that his was in the second.

As much as Scorpius hated the idea, he was also very curious to what they would actually say. He didn't feel comfortable asking those outside of his close friends about it but that also didn't prove to be very useful, Albus was awful at remembering the specifics and Rose rudely announced that they'd said it was confidential. She had no desire to break this confidentially.

"I'm not asking what you said in reply - although I hope you remembered to be careful with you answers," Scorpius insisted as he took another go at Rose at breakfast on Sunday the day after her session, "Just what they were actually after by knowing the questions they asked."

"You'll just have to wait and see," Rose insisted, "And I for one, didn't think there was anything untoward about it either. You really need to be less paranoid, Scor, paranoia is not very good for your mental health."

"Neither is this stupid spy counselling thing," Scorpius grumbled.

"If you really want to know what's going on, why don't you just spy on someone's session?" Maurice offered, much more interested in this and on Scorpius' side about there being more to it, "That way you'll know what they're asking."

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"Except for it being a complete invasion of people's privacy," Michael added gloomily, he was back to taking Wolfsbane in preparation for the full moon on the first of October and his already low spirits had dropped even further as had what little interest he now had for his classes.

"You can't do that," Abby protested in horror, "Whether they're up to something or not, not everyone believes that and some people are going to be pouring their private thoughts out."

"You could get permission from someone to listen in, then it wouldn't be so bad," Corin pointed out, "They'd know you're there and deliberately be trying not to say anything anyway. I for one don't trust people from a Ministry who came up with those werewolf bands, listen in on me if you'd like. It's Thursday last lesson when I should have Arithmancy."

"Don't we have Potions then?" Michael pointed out and Corin scowled.

"Do mine then, two to three on Wednesday..." Abby volunteered but trailed off, "Where I'll miss the end of Defense Against the Dark Arts and start of History."

"Okay we need someone who has a weekend time," Scorpius frowned thoughtfully, "Does Vern...?"

"Nope. First thing on Friday," Maurice offered.

"Lily's is on the weekend," Albus prompted through a mouthful of cereal, he'd also been gloomy since failing the tryouts.

"Don't talk with your mouthful," Michael chastised him.

"Yes, Mother."

"And Latimer's also is on the weekend, Sunday because he has to miss the Quidditch practice."

"How can you stand to practice Quidditch with him? He's disgusting," Rose complained, "And you're all overreacting, that counsellor is nice. And hot."

"I'll ask Latimer at practice today since he's older and I probably know him better, if he says no then I'll ask Lily," Scorpius decided and added to Albus in a quieter tone, "Will probably need to borrow your Dad's cloak though, if that's alright."

"Sure," Albus agreed sullenly and sighed, "Pretty much all I'm useful for anyway."

"That's not true," Abby insisted but Albus didn't look any happier.

It was a bitingly cold day for practice and everyone's teeth were chattering by the time Molly called the practice to a halt, Rufus Rhett the new reserve Keeper was the only one with a smile on his face. He wasn't especially talented but a few years of practice until Molly left may shape him into a decent player, his enthusiasm was unrivalled though and he neither complained nor put in anything but a hundred percent effort. He also frequently volunteered for anything, whether it was demonstration or carrying equipment, he was just happy to be there and showed no animosity towards Michael or any of them.

"I just wanted to talk to Latimer, I'll catch up," Scorpius told Molly as the others all started heading back, she raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "I'll tell you later."

"Okay," Molly agreed as Scorpius jogged after the others.

"-And why do you have to throw it so damned hard at her?!" Freddie was demanding angrily of Latimer, "It could hit her and hurt her, maybe even knock her off her broom!"

"If you throw it weakly then it's more likely to be intercepted or miss," Latimer protested.

"Well good! At least Caitlin wouldn't be in danger!"

"What is your problem?"

"I'm just protective of my girlfriend," Freddie snapped after a moment of looking stunned, "Maybe if there was any chance in the world that you'd had or ever would have one then you'd understand!"

"Harsh," Latimer muttered and looked down miserably as Freddie stalked off.

"I thought Freddie was done with that?" Scorpius wondered as he went over to him.

"No, now he just waits until after practice to yell at us. Well me and Carver. You, Lily and Rufus don't tend to have much to do with her, Roxy's his sister, Louis is his cousin and best friend and Michael... I guess he thinks things are bad enough for Michael so it's me or Carver. I don't care about Carver," Latimer explained with a hefty sigh, "Do you think Molly would be annoyed with me if I quit the team?"

"Why would you want to quit the team?" Scorpius asked in even more surprise, Latimer shrugged.

"Believe it or not, I don't enjoy being yelled at and insulted. And you know, it's actually worse coming from people who are sort of friends. I'm just fed up with it all and if I can't even get away from it at Quidditch then what's the point?"

"If you quit then you'd be letting everyone down," Scorpius protested and Latimer threw him a dark look.

"I throw bad then Molly's mad, I throw good then Freddie's mad, I quit and everyone's mad at me, I stay and everyone's mad at me. What the fuck do you people want from me?" Latimer complained irritably and Scorpius opened and closed his mouth a few times, stumped on what to say.

"I... I don't... just... talk to Molly?"

"Forget it," Latimer sighed, "What did you want?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"Why else would you come over to talk to me? To see how I'm doing?" Latimer wondered sarcastically.

"Okay, I was just... You know those counselling sessions?"

"No, never heard of them," Latimer continued in the same tone.

"I think they have an ulterior motive."

"So does everyone who's not a gullible idiot. This is actually a surprising amount of people."

"Knowing what they're asking about might help figure out what information they're after specifically but mine isn't until next week, second hand accounts are unreliable. So I thought of sitting in on someone else's with an Invisibility Cloak but I don't want to break someone's privacy like that without permission, all my friends have ones during classes though. But yours is on the weekend so, would you mind if I sat in on your session?"

"Sure," Latimer shrugged, "Not like I was ever going to spill my guts to a random stranger anyway. It's next week at nine am so if you were having a lie in on Sunday then you'll have to skip it if you want in."

"No that's fine. Thanks, Latimer," Scorpius told him gratefully, "See you."

For Scorpius, the week couldn't go by fast enough in his eagerness to find out what the Ministry-sanctioned counsellors were after. He sped through his workload and was annoyed at how slowly time seemed to be going before it finally reached the end of September, October beginning on the Saturday. Only one day to kill before the counsellor. And then it was only a couple of days for his own session, he'd be much more prepared for their dirty tricks after witnessing Latimer's too.

"Do you want to come with me tomorrow?" Scorpius asked of Michael that afternoon as they played Wizard Chess in the dormitory, to avoid the looks and because they were done with their homework much faster than the others. Or in Michael's case he hadn't done it because the full moon was near. Michael looked at him like he had suddenly sprouted seven limbs, "You know to spy on the counsellor."

"Scorpius, tonight's the full moon," Michael pointed out and Scorpius realized that was why Michael looked so utterly shattered, "I'll be lucky if I can even open my eyes tomorrow, let alone stand for an hour to spy on someone."

"Oh right. Sorry," Scorpius offered guiltily, feeling genuinely bad for not having been paying attention to it, "It completely slipped my mind. How are you doing?"

"What will happen will happen," Michael shrugged but hit his lip to betray his nerves, "You don't think Carver and the rest of James' cronies will attack me with fireworks, do you?"

"I'm sure they won't. Doubt they have the guts to do it anyway without James but you know..." Scorpius answered and felt determined to make it up to him, "If it'd make you feel better then I could use the Map to keep an eye on them, make sure they don't do anything."

"Won't that make you tired?" Michael sighed unhappily.

"I don't mind, it's worth it to make sure you're safe. We have to take a stand against these werewolf-hating bastards somehow," Scorpius insisted and Michael reluctantly nodded, pulling out his wallet to retrieve the Map for Scorpius, "If I see anything suspicious, I'll stop them or get Calderon or something."

"Just be careful, I think that thing might be broken," Michael offered before making his move, he smiled weakly, "And that's a stalemate. May not be able to beat you but I can stop you, sometimes that's the best you can hope for."

"True."

Scorpius wasn't sure what Michael had meant by the Map being broken, he hadn't elaborated and Scorpius hadn't thought of it until later that evening when Michael had gone. The Map - or the Marauder's Map - was something they'd manage to procure the previous year, it having gotten mixed up with Orous' things after James was bullying him. It was far better in their hands than James, hell, it was far better in _anyone's_ hands but James. With a secret sentence and tap of the wand, the blank parchment revealed a Map of Hogwarts but not just any Map, it showed everyone in Hogwarts at any time. You could wipe it much the same way. It was brilliant.

Scorpius didn't think anything looked wrong with it to him and thankfully, he seemed to be right about James' cronies. It occurred to him that he didn't know any of their names except Carver but the only people in the Hospital Wing were Michael - it kept his name even though he'd be a werewolf right now - and Marigold were the only residents. The only other people about were names he recognized as ghosts and names he recognized as prefects, their little dots moving in a uniform patrolling way. Carver was in his dormitory and was not showing any signs of moving. All the teachers seemed to be in their offices, which he knew doubled as their living quarters through a password to the extended living area. The counsellors too.

And then he noticed something odd in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, there was a 'Cassia Ashain' and 'Antonius Ashain' but there was something very wrong with Professor Ashain's dot. That had to be what Michael meant by thinking it was broken, the name kept flickering from 'Atticus Ashain' - presumably, he thought it looked like - to something else but it was too fast to make out. And the dot was moving, leaving the sleeping children to head to the Second Floor. The girl's bathroom on the Second Floor. Which he knew from his First Year to be the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Professor Ashain's dot stayed there.

Scorpius had to investigate. He stumbled out of bed and thought of waking Albus to ask for his cloak but decided against it, he had a Map of everyone and everywhere so it should be easy to avoid people. He grabbed his wand and left, keeping his eyes on his route as well as make sure Michael was still okay and the professor was still there. Both situations remained unchanged and he managed to avoid the few prefects easily, finally slipping into the bathroom. Professor Ashain was standing in front of the entrance with a determined expression but it was firmly closed, his wand was out but not in use or being held to be used.

"Professor Ashain?" Scorpius called out cautiously, realizing he could potentially get in trouble but... well, he was worried and he had a good relationship with the professor. Professor Ashain turned to him, his chestnut eyes narrowing darkly, "Are you okay? What are you doing down here in the middle of the night."

"I could ask the same of you... Malfoy?" Professor Ashain said, his voice sounding the same yet different as if someone else was speaking through the same vocal chords... It reminded him oddly of something but he couldn't place what. His voice seemed maybe slightly a lower pitch and there was the hint of an accent that he'd never heard before. Professor Ashain never called him 'Malfoy' but always by his name or nickname, Scorpius felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"I asked first."

"I'm the adult and you're the child."

"I'm not a child," Scorpius insisted and the professor cocked his head to one side, his face now eerily devoid of expression. It finally dawned on him what the vocal effect reminded him off, when the Shadow Master spoke through his possessed grandfather. Scorpius raised his wand at his favorite professor as his heart started beating furiously into overdrive, "And you're not Professor Ashain."

"This is his body," the possessed-professor told him, not seeming concerned even slightly by the wand aimed at him, "I'm not afraid of you, Malfoy. You won't use that wand. Malfoys never do, you're all the same. Getting others to do their dirty work, you have no one to do that here."

"Watch me!" Scorpius snapped angrily at his family being insulted although... it might be kind of accurate. The possessed still gave no reaction, "I don't know how you managed to do it inside Hogwarts or how you managed to do it without making his eyes change but I will stop you. Let him go or I'll _make_ you let him go, Professor Ashain is my friend and I can cast a Patronus. Let him go."

"Yeah... I'm not going to do that."

"Expec-"

Before Scorpius could even finish the incantation, the possessed-professor held out his hand. Light erupted from his palm, a blinding white light that was all encompassing. Obliterating not only Scorpius' sight but all his other senses and then...

"Geez, wake up!" Albus snapped and Scorpius jolted upright immediately to see his friend was shaking him awake, "If you want to spy on that counsellor with Latimer then you kind of need to not oversleep."

"What the...?" Scorpius wondered, looking around in panic as it all came back to him, "Professor Ashain!"

"What about hi-"

But Scorpius wasn't listening, he snatched his wand from his bedside table and leaped into action. He raced down the steps and burst into the girl's bathroom but he was gone, he ran back up a floor to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and barged into the unlocked office. It was empty. Either he was hiding in the private quarters, had made it into the Chamber of Secrets or... or was at breakfast keeping up appearances. Scorpius bolted down the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him, too fuelled by fear to notice the looks he was getting from running barefooted and in his pajamas. Images of his grandfather's soul being torn from his body haunted Scorpius as he ran, he forced himself faster, he was _not_ going to let that happen to someone else he cared about. And there was the imposter at the table, Scorpius ran up the center of the hall and staggered to a halt at the staff table. Breathlessly he threw his wand in the imposter's direction.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_" Scorpius yelled without further ado, focusing on rather appropriate good memories of Professor Ashain to conjure the magnificent silver Thestral that charged through a stunned Professor Ashain. But nothing happened. No Specter was torn from his body, "What the...?"

"What are you doing?!" Elwood demanded of him angrily but he didn't care, he was terrified. Why hadn't it worked? It should've worked, he'd seen it work.

"Scor, are you alright?" Professor Ashain asked with genuine concern in his voice. In _his_ voice. No strange accent, no strange anything. He looked worried about him too, not calmly expressionless like last night.

"I-I don't know," Scorpius stammered out awkwardly, "I thought I... I... It... It was a dream? It was so real, you were possessed but not with your eyes in my dream..."

"You had a dream about your teacher?" someone random student near the end taunted and laughter followed.

Scorpius realized for the first time that he was standing there in his pajamas, barefooted and his hair in complete disarray from just getting up. The school laughed at him. The staff were kinder, there was a mixture of concern and annoyance from the faces. The laughter echoed around him and Scorpius blushed scarlet with embarrassment at his humiliation, he turned and fled back out with the laughter chasing his heels the entire time.


	16. IV: Counselling

_**Thanks to:** Faded Into The Dawn and Winged-panther1 for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Where is Calderon anyways? Is he going to play a part anytime soon? _**  
_He's around but as its been mentioned, Elwood doesn't like him and so he's keeping Calderon on a really short leash and not giving him a lot of freedom which is why Scorpius (and by extension you) haven't seen much of him. You will see him soon though, I promise_

**_About Ashain... I'm guessing something happened over the summer that we don't know about or something happened we didn't notice at the fire in the first chapter which made Ashain possessed? _**  
_If something is wrong with Ashain then it didn't happen in the first chapter or over the summer_

**_Did the Shadows/ Sal train the Shadows to merge with humans without showing signs of possession, and or perhaps the protection fell/ maybe the Shadows also are able to make it past the protection now, just not in mass numbers? _**  
_No she didn't, Shadows are parasitic and aren't as substansial as souls, if they tried to merge with a soul then the soul would be stronger and fight it off subconciously which is why One needed Jack to be willing so Sal would also need people willing to merge their souls. And the protection stands as long as Calderon and/or Scorpius are in Hogwarts, for anything Shadowy to get past they'd have to get in while both weren't there (like they did in book 2, Scorpius was away for the summer and Calderon was giving letters to muggle-borns then just waited) and then use powerful protective magic to prevent instant-oblieration_

**_Where the heck is Jack? __Or Celestine for that matter?_**  
_Glad you asked! Jack makes a reappearance very first thing this chapter and you'll realize why he hasn't been mentioned or in contact with Michael at all and what happened to him. Celestine is s__till being a Soul Eater spy_

**_ If the soul merging still let Jack have normal eyes, could that be what happened to the professor (Ashain)? _**  
_As I mentioned, Ashain would need to do it willing. I'm not going to confirm or deny it though but that's too spoilery_

**_Is Calderon possessing Ashain (totally random thought but the light...) or maybe Calderon accidentally made a Shadow turn light at some point and it possessed Ashain?_**  
_Again, I'm not going to confirm or deny because its too spoilert to say what (if anything) is happening with Ashain. Although I will say that you cannot (alas, not even people as powerful as Calderon or Sal) make a Shadow turn light, they are just that: Shadows, Patronuses effect them because they're a pure force of darkness like Demenotors and they generally dislike light and making them light would destroy them_

_**Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long, fanfiction's been acting up. It would let me go absolutely anywhere except onto my account which what you need to post chapters, I don't know if it was just for me or not but I couldn't do anything about it so I apologize for the delay. I also apologize that this is short, I decided to split this chapter as I want to get something up there for you to read even if its shorter in case the website decides to 503 error me again so here you go  
_

* * *

Jack felt weak, as if every last fiber of strength had been completely and utterly torn away from him. Despite this, he didn't feel tired. Lethargic certainly but not tired. He shivered at the fierce cold. He had to force his eyes open, feeling as if they'd been welded shut. The room seemed shadowy, how long had he been sleeping? Minutes? Hours? Days? No, not sleeping. One, he recalled as the memory of agony returned to him. He'd agreed to merge his soul with One. How had that gone? He didn't really _feel_ any different. Aside from being weak. And hungry and thirsty, his mouth felt scorched, he was so thirsty. But that was all physical, nothing to do with his mind which he had expected from his soul being merged with a shadow. Had it even worked at all? Where were his magical powers? How could he possibly protect his son when he wasn't even sure he could stand?

"One?" Jack tried to call out but it sounded more like the weakest of rasps and just the one word stabbed his dry mouth painfully. He got no response.

Groaning inwardly, he tried to force himself to get up and instead managed to fall off the bed. He grunted in pain as he hit the floor but his limbs still seemed reluctant to move, it was fight to just get to his hands and knees. His arms were shaking as he staggered to stand on trembling legs, they buckled beneath him and he crashed into the fall in an attempt to steady himself. What was wrong with him? He tried to run a hand through his hair and realized it was longer than it had been just before his soul was merged, he scowled and went to scratch his chin, finding a heft amount of stubble there. It must've been a few days that he was unconscious, still though, he hadn't thought that hair grew that fast.

"One?" Jack tried again, it was still painful to talk and he still got no reply from his shadowy friend.

"THORNE!" a voice bellowed and Jack jolted in surprise, thankful for the wall's support at the shock of his Landlord's voice. It was followed by vigorous knocking, "Open up!"

"Coming!" Jack croaked, putting effort into making the one word louder but it still was a slightly less weak rasp as if his voice hadn't been used in a while.

He awkwardly made his way to the front door, having to lean heavily on furniture and walls for support as his legs were incredibly unsteady still. He still fumbled with the latch before finally opening it to see his Landlord, he used the door for support and looked at the man. And had to do a double take. Hastings didn't look physically any different, he had the same pointed noise and yellow - not blond, it was quite yellow - hair but there was a strange white glowing aura about him.

Jack rubbed his crusty eyes, thinking it was a trick of the light but the aura remained. It was odd though, he'd thought it was just his apartment but even basking in the glow of sunlight from the corridor, everything seemed tinged as if in shadow. Except for the white glow around Hastings, with him it was like looking at him through a white-tinted lens. It was most disconcerting, Jack hoped it would wear off.

"Are you alright? You don't look well," Hastings commented with a look resembling concern, it was hard to tell through the damn aura.

"I don't feel well," Jack admitted instead, "So let's make this short, what did you want?"

"Rent," Hastings informed as his tone became harder, "I've been trying to cut you some slack because you're always been good before but this will be the third month in a row now that you won't have paid now, that's a quarter of a _year_. And it's not even like you're giving me a reason or bothering to answer or return my calls or notices."

"Hey!" Jack protested irritably, "Wait just one second, I am not behind on my rest. I paid the last two months and I'll pay this month too, it's only the beginning of August and I usually pay at the end of the last week. I-"

"Jack, it's October," Hastings interrupted seriously with a deep scowl that shone through the aura.

"What? But that can't be... That's two months... It was just August, it was..." Jack stammered out in panic at the ludicrousy of having been unconscious for two months of his life but the expression on Hastings' face stopped him, he wasn't joking around. It _was_ true. He felt his mind reeling in panic, two months. Michael and Crystal must think he'd forgotten them completely, that he didn't care. Two months?! Dammit, One! "I-I'll have your rent by tonight or tomorrow, three whole months. I just... I just need to figure this out."

* * *

Scorpius ran back to Gryffindor Tower in shame, not paying attention to where he was going but was much more aware of the eyes burning into him. His lungs were burning by the time he was back in his dormitory, where he naturally managed to run into Albus. At least he was back though, he could just be alone in his humiliation and hide under his bed covers. How could he have been so stupid?

"Erm… You okay, Scor?" Albus asked slowly and worriedly as Scorpius threw himself down onto his bed and pulled the pillow over his head.

"I don't want to talk about it," Scorpius muttered under his breath.

"Okay… Are you not going to spy on the counsellor with Latimer still?" Albus wondered and Scorpius swore, "Yes? No? Did I get my cloak out for nothing?"

"No, I'm still going," Scorpius complained irritably as he closed shut the drapes to get changed, "But I may want to borrow the cloak for longer."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be invisible forever."

"Running out in your pajamas does not rank very highly on your list of best ideas ever."

"Thank you, Al," Scorpius said through gritted teeth. Stupid dream had felt so real.

Scorpius finishing getting dressed and pulled back the drapes, Albus had the cloak waiting and Scorpius threw it over himself before leaving. He didn't really want to show his face at that moment in time, maybe ever. He headed off to the room that the Sixth Years' counsellor had been given, Latimer was already there waiting. Scorpius tapped him on the shoulder to alert him to his presence and Latimer had his wand out in a panic.

"It's me!" Scorpius protested and Latimer lowered his wand immediately, pocketing it once more.

"Sorry. Are you ready?" Latimer asked and Scorpius nodded stupidly before remembering he still had the cloak over him.

"Yes," Scorpius confirmed instead and Latimer as he knocked on the door.

"Come in, it's open!" a cheerful voice called.

Latimer rolled his eyes as he pushed open the door, gesturing for Scorpius to go in and waited a moment for him to do so before entering himself. He lingered on closing it, not being able to see Scorpius to know that he was in or ask because the counsellor would hear.

The counsellor was too busy looking over a file to notice however. It was one of the female counsellors, Scorpius didn't remember her name but he'd guess she was in her thirties with bouncy curly hair and half-moon spectacles that hid grassy green eyes. She was humming to herself and smiling, sitting on a comfortable chair to the side of a desk filled with neatly stacked papers as she looked at the file in her hands. There was a pink floral couch angled beside her as they went over to her, she looked up from her file to smile a greeting at Latimer while Scorpius got a peek before she closed it.

_**Pupil Name:** Latimer, Tobias Lytar_

**_D.O.B.:_**_ July 31st 2004, St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries_

**_Parentage:_**_ Latimer, Austin Gareth (father*). Latimer, Lark Thalia (mother, deceased**)_

**_House:_**_ Gryffindor _

"Why don't you take a seat, Mr Latimer? Make yourself comfortable," the counsellor told him, Latimer remained standing, "My name is Chastity Prinkett, you may call me Chastity or Counsellor Prinkett, whichever makes you feel more comfortable. What do you prefer to be called?"

"Lord Voldemort," Latimer quipped sarcastically but Chastity didn't lose her smile.

"A joker, I see," she commented as she took out a notebook, jotting down '_TL_ _Latimer – uncooperative, suspicious, distrustful. Hiding something?_' before looking back to him, "I told you that you could sit down."

"You also said to make myself comfortable, I'm more comfortable standing," Latimer pointed out with a shrug as he folded his arms, clearly having no intention of playing her game.

"Really?" Chastity gave him a look of mock concern, "Is it not difficult with your prosthetic foot?"

"No."

"What's your favorite color?" Chastity asked and it clearly took Latimer off-guard because the shock managed to show on his face before he buried it behind his usual stony expression.

"Green. Why?"

"Because..." Chastity began as she took out a frilly wand and flicked at the couch to turn it a bright green instead, "I can make it more to your tastes, we want you to feel more comfortable because these sessions are all for your benefit. Is that more to your tastes?"

"Well..." Latimer mused before flicking his own wand at the couch, making a much darker shade of green without vocalizing the spell which was surprising. Molly claimed non-verbal magic was difficult and was frustrated with struggling with it but it had looked easy for Latimer, "That's more like it."

"Then sit," Chastity told him in a more commanding tone as her smile dimmed until Latimer had done so, "You have an impressive grasp of non-verbal magic for someone who's only been practicing it for a month, in fact your teachers claim you've grasped it much faster than the others in your year. Why is that?"

"My Dad gave me some good advice," Latimer shrugged dismissively and Scorpius supposed this made sense, Austin's wandless magic was also non-verbal so he would have some idea.

"Your father, who was expelled in his Fifth Year _before_ they start learning non-verbal magic?"

"No, my other father," Latimer commented sarcastically and Chastity's smile was strained as she scribbled down '_possible lie about use of non-verbal magic_, _trained by Soul Eaters?_' Scorpius smiled to himself under the cloak, he _knew_ they had an ulterior motive.

"You're a Gryffindor, is that right?"

"No, they let me wear their colors, access their Common Room and sleep in their dormitory for some other reason."

"Right," Chastity said as she scribbled down '_issues with behavioral attitude_', "But none of your family share your house, your father was a Ravenclaw before his expulsion and your mother a Slytherin. Why did the Sorting Hat place in your Gryffindor?"

"Do I look like the Sorting Hat to you? Go ask it."

"No, it won't be necessary. Your opinion is what matters here not the Hat," Chastity pointed out as she scribbled down '_not close to family. Bad attitude still_', "Tell me, does it bother you that your grandfather on your mother's side was a Death Eater responsible for over a dozen deaths?"

"I never really thought about it, it's not like I ever met the guy."

"He was skilled with non-verbal magic at a young age and excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts like you do, do you aspire to be like him?"

"What? No!" Latimer protested, looking offended, "What kind of question even is that?! Why would you think that?!"

"Well, your involvement with the defensive efforts in Hogsmeade is noted and there were plenty of people including students who also did so. However, none of them killed anyone," Chastity told him as her tone became icy and her expression hard, "You literally blew someone's brains out, how does that make you feel? Do you enjoy killing, Latimer?"

"No!" Latimer snapped, "I didn't kill it on purpose, I was just trying to protect myself."

"Is that how you feel? You'll just kill anything that gets in your way?"

"No, it was self-defense and an accident."

"An accident? So killing is so natural that you don't even have to think about? It just happens?"

"What? No! Stop twisting me words."

"I'm just trying to understand how you feel. How does killing make you feel then?"

"I don't know, I try to think about it," Latimer pointed out quietly as he looked away and Chastity said nothing as she scribbled down '_lack of empathy for victim or guilt over crime. Possible sociopath. Possible violent psychotic tendencies. Possible explanation for bad attitude to me_,' which Scorpius thought was completely unfair.

"Tell me, do you believe Varanian to be innocent?" Chastity asked and Latimer looked back to her.

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know, maybe because he fought _against_ the bad guys in Hogsmeade. It makes more sense about him being innocent too, I think."

"You weren't here when Varanian attacked the school and tried to possess everyone with Specters, were you?"

"No," Latimer admitted to Scorpius' surprise.

"Your file says that you were in St Mungo's hospital, is that correct?" Chastity wondered thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"Why were you in St Mungo's hospital?"

"Why do you think? I was sick," Latimer pointed out as if it were obvious which it sort of was, "Dragon Pox."

"Most convenient, isn't it? That you missed all that."

"If you classify nearly dying of illness more 'convenient' than nearly dying from Specters attacking then sure," Latimer answered sarcastically and Chastity scribbled down '_confirms illness, extreme lengths to keep Soul Eater out of attack?'_

"Tell me, are you close to your father?" Chastity asked to which Latimer seemed surprised again, he shrugged, "He has a... shall we say, criminal disposition?"

"Gee, really?"

"Tell me, do you use sarcasm to mask pain?"

"No, I use it for sarcasm. That's just stupid," Latimer quipped but Chastity wrote down that it might be possible anyway, Chastity paused thoughtfully before asking her next question.

"To the best of your knowledge, do you believe your father to be a member of the Shadow/Soul Eater organization?"

"No!" Latimer protested firmly, "My Dad's a... shady guy but he's not completely evil, he's not one of them nor would he ever be."

"Hmm... Odd you should be so loyal to a father who's only had you back from Hogwarts for two out of five winter breaks and no Easter breaks, do you not feel like he doesn't care about you? Or do you just not care about this obvious lack of attention because you don't feel attachments to people? Or do you accept that he has more important things to do, in regards to illegal activities with the Shadow/Soul Eaters?"

"I... I really don't know what to say to that. The first one I guess?" Latimer wondered in confusion but he looked offended but Chastity decided to randomly jump topics.

"Your mother died when you were five years old, is that correct?"

"She died? And here I was always told that she went to live on a farm with my pet beetle, Beetley."

"You saw her die. You know that's not true," Chastity said sharply and Latimer looked away with pain in his eyes, Scorpius thought he actually saw the corners of Chastity's mouth attempt to twitch to a smile, "That must have been awfully traumatic. And she wasn't killed instantly either, how long did it take her to bleed to death from internal injuries? Minutes? Hours? What did it feel like to watch your own mother die?"

"I don't remember," Latimer muttered in an obvious lie and Chastity scribbled down '_upset about mother's death, could be a good button to press_'.

"Alright, we'll come back to that. Tell me, do you ever have a problem with bullying?"

"No."

"Really? In your First Year you reported being bullied multiple times in the first few months. Did it really just stop or did you just stop reporting it because it was only making it worse?"

"The first one," Latimer lied and Chastity must have known too because she wrote '_conflict with reports from teachers, lies to protect bullies_'.

"It must be difficult with your appearance. You never had any friends in your first three years of Hogwarts, did you?"

"No."

"Did you have friends in your muggle school before Hogwarts?"

"No."

"Why do you think this is?"

"Because I'm unlikable?" Latimer guessed.

"Probably," Chastity muttered but Scorpius thought that Latimer still heard, "Yet you've managed to gain some friendships since your Fourth Year, is that correct?"

"I guess," Latimer shrugged.

"Anyone besides people on your Quidditch team?"

"No."

"I see," Chastity nodded and this time, she did smile, "Quidditch is all about unity, needing to work as a team. It's understandable that the players would have some kind of semi-decent relationship for the sake of the game. That's the only reason they'd bother with you, they'd turn on you in an instant because they have no real loyalty or attachment to you besides your usefulness in game. You know that right?"

"I know," Latimer agreed, sounding sincere much to Scorpius' surprise.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend or dated anyone?"

"No," Latimer admitted and his cheeks colored slightly with embarrassment, reminding Scorpius sorely of his own embarrassment. Why did that dream about Professor Ashain have to feel so real?

"Does that bother you?" Chastity wondered and Latimer shrugged.

"I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to date me either."

"You have no career plans, do you?"

"No."

"So, your family is either dead or doesn't care about you, you have no romantic relationships, your so-called friends also don't care about you, you're frequently picked on and you have no plans for the future?"

"Pretty much. When you put it like that, it sounds really depressing though."

"Well, it's no wonder you have such a low sense of self-worth!" Chastity told him jokingly but Scorpius was pretty sure that everyone in the room knew it wasn't a joke, she smiled at Latimer, "You should be aware that we at the Ministry _do_ care about you, you have talents that you simply choose to downplay but we at the Ministry see your potential and believe you could have a very bright future with us. But it requires making the right choices _now_, do you understand?"

"Not really."

"Tell me what you know about the enemy, you're friends with both Molly Weasley - whose uncle is a known Shadow and - Scorpius Malfoy. Malfoy, as in the family with known Death Eater ties and whose grandfather was a Shadow before his death, Scorpius was seen with Varanian in Hogsmeade and at the Ministry during attacks as well as another classified location. People talk, Latimer, what do you know? What has either said?"

"Look, you're not only barking but you're running in the wrong garden," Latimer told her firmly and with an edge of finality as he stood, "Even if I knew something, there's no conceivable way in this life that I would willingly tell you. I'm not involved with the Soul Eaters, neither are my friends or my father and I think we're done here. Good day, Prinkett. And just a word of advice, you suck at subtly."

On that note, Latimer simply left and Chastity didn't even bother to try stopping him. She didn't even seem concerned, Scorpius was tempted to follow Latimer but was curious to whether Chastity would say or write anything more. He was rewarded by a smile as she wrote down '_definitely hiding something. Definite possible Shadow connection. For next session, ask for more details on Hogsmeade and press mother issue to throw off-guard_.' Scorpius left in disgust - Latimer had kindly left the door open for him - as Latimer had been right, she didn't even try to be subtle. He hadn't thought it possible but he'd been mistaken, Scorpius was now dreading his own session even more.


	17. IV: Battling Back

_**Thanks to:** Aya Diefair, Lucifersdaughter, A Guest and Winged-panther1 for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_I get that the ministry are looking for shadow info but did she have to be so bitchy and cruel?_**  
_Yeah, her whole plan (with Latimer anyway) was to make him feel miserable about his life to lose his loyalty to people she believed he was protecting and make the Ministry's vague offer more appealing so that Latimer would tell them everything she assumes he knows about the Shadows/Varanian_

**_Is Ashain able to remember any of what happened at night when he was walking around? (Even if it's just the corridor?)_**  
_No, he can't remember anything. I would elaborate more but its too spoilery and you'll find out more soon enough_

**_Can Jack now auras of is the light he saw something different?_**  
_Jack merged his soul with One the Specter and Specters see sentient beings in terms of the color of their soul (unless that person has a damaged soul like someone who made a Horcrux or someone who had the magic ripped out of their soul and put back) since its important to them. Jack has taken on traits of One and sees this soul coloration as a kind of aura shining through of either white, black or gray_

_**Author's Note: (To A Guest)** I think fanfiction was having problems the past few days, I couldn't get into my account to write/update and I don't think reviews/faves/follows or any of that was working either even though you could still read things. It should be working now though (I think) if you want to try again, or just leave it because your review for last chapter got through so I could answer your questions. If anyone else tried to review and its not on here then it just didn't show up and I never got it, I'm sorry  
_

**_Will Jack be doing magic?_**  
_To a certain extent but he won't be able to do proper wizard magic until/unless he steals the magic from a magical person's soul _

**_ Is he (Jack) gonna let Mikey in on it? Will Crystal or Annie know? _**  
_No, its not something he wants to advertise _

**_Will Michael be informed on Annie during hia counseling?_**  
_No, the Ministry don't know about her being magical and the counsellors only researched magical family and know hardly anything about muggle - or seemingly muggle - relatives_

* * *

_Roman Magnus Rivers was the youngest in his family, born near the end of August to Magnus and Mavis Rivers. Roman didn't think his parents could possibly be any more different, Magnus was a reserved, down-to-earth man of few words while the excitable, dreamer Mavis was never short of them but they seemed close nonetheless. This was even more unusual considering it had been an arranged marriage, Mavis wasn't even from England but rather a pureblooded family in America and had neither met Magnus nor stepped foot in England before her wedding day. Then again, Magnus had been the one to arrange the marriage. Magnus was a Seer._

_The only others in the Rivers family were Roman's elder siblings, twins Aubrey and Audrey who were a full decade older than him. Roman disliked this, the gap was too great for them to be interested in playing games with him or if they did it was only because they'd been commanded too. Aubrey was… completely spoiled. He'd stupidly climbed a tree as a toddler, falling and badly injuring his hip and leg – even gaining a scar from the ordeal on his hip – which had forever since made him coddled by Mavis. This had left him incredibly self-obsessed, vain and rather oblivious to everyone's needs but his own. None of which Mavis had a problem with, as long as he was happy. Magnus didn't treat any of children more or less bias but he also never did much to stop her from inflating Aubrey's ego._

_Not that Mavis was a bad mother, she went overboard with Aubrey but she did dote on all of them. She read Roman a bedtime story every night – after he'd outgrown lullabies – which was usually myths or legends because they absolutely fascinated him, she'd then hug him and tell him she loved him before tucking him in and kissing him goodnight. She was bubbly, happy and affectionate, which was the opposite of Magnus. He was always serious and rarely showed emotion, he hardly ever smiled too. Roman didn't doubt his father loved them, he'd always give you his time and he was actually a better listener than Mavis but he was less obviously affectionate. Mavis frequently praised him and cuddled him but Magnus was much more difficult to please, it made the rare moments when Magnus would give praise – albeit sparingly – or hug him or even smile at him all the more precious._

_Roman thought that must be just how it worked with families, the mother could be doting but the father was sparing. The siblings were homeschooled by both parents, Magnus could work alone from home and Mavis was technically a housewife so they were both always there. Roman was usually with one parent and his siblings with another, because of the different age and skill level. Roman didn't mind, it made him feel less overshadowed by his siblings. Between Mavis and Aubrey, he and Audrey sometimes struggled to get a word in. Magnus also didn't say much but it was by choice and when he did speak, everyone listened. Roman also had something of a unique upbringing as Magnus didn't believe in waiting until age eleven to learn magic, he didn't have his own wand - British wandmakers didn't sell them to children under ten - but he'd started learning spells as early as five and practicing them as young as six. It was tiring doing a lot of magic so young and took longer to learn but still possible, it tended to be one practical magic lesson a week but gradually increased in frequency as he grew older._

_Roman still considered them quite a close bunch, not that he really had much to go on since they were very isolated. They lived in the countryside a fair way away from neighbors, if there was any at all then they weren't in contact with them. Mavis wrote to friends back in America but that was it, Magnus was not only a loner but had no desire for friends and the three children simply had never met anyone their own age. Roman especially was kept even more isolated due to being under age and had never been outside of the garden without family accompanying him, the only people he'd met were people like shop clerks and waiters or occasionally his father's supervisor would visit but there was no one he really knew by name or was close to except his family. Sometimes Roman missed having someone who didn't think toys were childish but mostly he didn't mind, he was happy with his life. Even when news broke of the big scary wizarding war, Roman felt perfectly safe in their nice near little cottage. Mavis was very house proud and Magnus craved order so things were always neat and tidy, the one commonality they seemed to share. Nothing could touch them. How wrong Roman was._

* * *

Scorpius returned to Gryffindor Tower, following behind some returning First Years due to still being invisible and spotted Abby, Albus and Rose in the Common Room. He headed back upstairs first though to remove the cloak before joining them downstairs as his visible self, happy to be able to tell them that he'd been right. He'd actually managed to get the awful embarrassing incident out of his mind until he was greeted by snickering and comments by random people as he passed to move over to his friends, his face going a darker shade of red with every step.

"Sleep well?"

"I see you remembered to get dressed this time, well done!"

"No pajamas?"

"Do you shoot Patronuses at all the teachers you dream about?" Carver taunted the last, the only person he knew by name and his friends laugh.

"Shut up James' cronies," Scorpius muttered at them as he finally reached his friends while the nameless ones angrily protested they had names.

"Did you really run into the Great Hall in your pajamas and cast a Patronus at Ashain?" Albus asked him immediately grinning broadly and Scorpius buried his face in his hands.

"I told you that he did, some of us were actually at breakfast," Rose pointed out testily.

"Yeah but it's better to hear it from Scor himself, I thought he'd just forgot where the nearest bathroom was or something. So is it true?"

"Yes," Scorpius groaned and to his surprise, Albus laughed. Scorpius shot up his head to glare at his friend, Albus fell silent and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, it is pretty funny."

"It wasn't funny for _me_," Scorpius protested as the laughter returned to his memory and he felt humiliated all over again.

"Hey Malfoy," a random Sixth Year called out and Scorpius regretfully glanced in the boy's direction, "Just out of curiosity, do you dream about all your teachers? Or just the dudes? Or is Ashain just special?"

"If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room," Scorpius announced to his friends as the boy laughed with a group of others in his year.

"You're not going to tell us how it went?" Abby wondered as Scorpius stood.

"It can wait," Scorpius muttered miserably, his being right hardly seemed important then.

He headed back to his dormitory, trying to ignore it all but failing not to feel awful. He had put the cloak back onto Albus' bed but retrieved it again, this time simply lying on his front on his bed and throwing it over himself to be invisible. He wanted to be invisible forever. How could he have been so stupid to confuse a dream with real life? Should it not have been obvious from the lack of glowing black eyes? And since when did possessed people talk with random accents? There was no excuse, he was just an idiot. Scorpius didn't know how long he lay there, he probably had homework but he didn't feel moving. Not even when he heard footsteps.

"I don't actually know. What kind of question is that anyway?" Michael's voice was saying, sounding tired. Scorpius assumed he was talking to Albus although he could've sworn that he could hear only one set of footsteps, Albus was much more heavy-footed than Michael so it was strange. But what happened next squashed that thought, Michael laughed weakly, "Accidentally bite someone as a human? When would I ever accidentally bite someone? Who does that? Could you pass the potatoes plea- oops, I apologize, it appears I somehow bit you!"

Was Michael talking to himself? Scorpius had dismissed it before as just something to kill time in Transfiguration because he was forced to sit alone, maybe knowing Roman talked to himself had made him biased against it being too strange. But this... Michael was actually talking to himself as if in response to something said but that was impossible, Scorpius hadn't heard anyone else speak.

"What other way did-"

"Michael?" Scorpius questioned in confusion as he sat up and turned to his friend, Michael must've jumped nearly a foot in the air in shock and almost seemed to drop something.

"You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing lying there invisible?!"

"What am I doing?! What are you doing talking to yourself?! And don't pretend you haven't, I heard you just now and I've noticed it in Transfiguration too!" Scorpius snapped back defensively.

He felt immediately bad though as he realized that Michael had started shaking after being surprised by him, his small fragile body was trembling. The strain of the transformation showed in the exhaustion on his face, he looked incredibly faint for a moment and Scorpius managed to leap to his feet in time to spare Michael from collapsing to the floor. Michael leaned heavily against him for support but remained conscious, he was surprisingly light and Scorpius helped him to his bed.

"Do you need to go back to the Hospital Wing?" Scorpius asked worriedly but Michael vigorously shook his head although he kept his mismatched eyes closed.

"I barely managed to convince Marigold to let me return to the dormitory, I just need to rest," Michael told him weakly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be in the Hospital Wing?"

"Scorpius, I have to learn to live with being a werewolf and the whole weakness thing is part of that. I'm going to have to live with it outside of Hogwarts so there won't always be a Hospital Wing for me to rely on, I need to get used to this outside that. I just need to rest."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded, deciding he'd leave Michael to rest and talk to him about what he'd heard later. He went to move back onto his bed but Michael opened his eyes and spoke again.

"And the whole talking to myself thing... It... It just helps me cope with this werewolf stuff, I'm not hallucinating or hearing things or anything. I'm sorry if it weirds you out, I just... Please don't worry about it, I'm fine," Michael told him reluctantly.

"Okay."

"Okay," Michael nodded, looking relieved as he lay down and stretched his arm under his pillow for a moment as he yawned. He kicked of his shoes and crawled under the covers still clothed, "And fill me on how it went later because I won't absorb any of it now, sorry. Goodnight."

Scorpius lay back down worriedly and guiltily, he was feeling bad just for being humiliated while Michael had just spent the night as a werewolf. And Michael was talking to himself to help him cope with being a werewolf? He had friends, why didn't he just talk to Scorpius? Or one of the others? Scorpius would certainly be willing to support him or listen or whatever, he was sure the others would too. Did Michael just not trust him? Did Michael just blame him for being turned? Or was this just Michael being Michael and not wanting to bother anyone with his worries? Or a combination?

If he was being completely honest, maybe Scorpius had been neglecting Michael in favor of worrying over the Ministry counsellors - or spies more like - and studying. It wasn't exactly easy though, not when Michael actually seemed to prefer solitude these days. But then, who wouldn't with all the filthy looks that Michael got? Scorpius had retreated to his dormitory to avoid a similar thing after all. But Scorpius could hardly do anything about that, he couldn't undo Michael's becoming a werewolf and he couldn't cure it either, that was beyond his - or anyone's - power. He sighed miserably but remained determined, he had to do something to help Michael so he'd stop talking to himself. He didn't like the thought of Michael winding up like Roman.

He glanced over at Michael, already sleeping with heavy lines of exhaustion written into his face even in sleep. Scorpius felt a pang of guilt as he saw the scar that he'd given Michael, it was even more obvious in sleep as it continued through the closed eyelid. Michael always wound up hurt because of him, why did he even stay friends with him? Why did anyone? People around him just got hurt while he walked away completely fine, his parents shouldn't be worrying over the danger that Michael posed to him but the danger that he posed to Michael. His eyes drifted to Michael's wrist, possessing both the friendship bracelet and the werewolf identifying one. If not for that stupid bracelet things might be easier for Michael, those who didn't know him wouldn't know immediately that he's a werewolf at least. But it was law to wear them, he couldn't change a law.

But maybe he didn't have to. An idea clicked into his mind, there was a law that werewolves had to wear them but no law that said non-werewolves _couldn't_ wear them. If he wore one as well then it'd hopefully make Michael feel less alone, maybe even more able to talk to him. Scorpius liked the feeling of having an attainable goal and headed off to the Library, needing to research a spell to duplicate Michael's werewolf bracelet. It made it easier to ignore the mocking comments and smirks thrown in his direction as he went to the Library, he was pretty sure there was a spell for it. It could be used as a curse but the creator was in control so it could also be used just to copy something, the copy wouldn't last forever but that didn't matter. He could just make another when it failed. He successfully retrieved a book about it before hearing his name being called by a friendly voice, Orous, Maurice, Corin and Vern were in the Library - probably working on homework - and he decided sitting with them was as good a choice as any.

"How'd it go with Lassiter?" Vern asked him curiously.

"I was completely right," Scorpius pointed out proudly and Maurice joined him in looking triumphant at being right all along, "She wasn't interested in helping Latimer - Latimer not Lassiter - at all, in fact she was kind of cruel really and all she wanted was information."

"I told you I was right," Maurice exclaimed happily.

"Yeah who cares about that. What was up with you today at breakfast?" Corin wondered instead and Scorpius felt his face flush red.

"I had this stupid dream that I thought was real and I don't want to talk about it so can we just drop it?" Scorpius told them through gritted teeth before Vern gasped at something beyond him, he turned to see Vern watching a girl who'd just came into the Library. He recognized her vaguely as Olivia Nott but from the expression on Vern's face and knowing he had a crush... "Olivia Nott, that's the girl you like?"

"Y-Yeah," Vern admitted with a sheepish smile while Scorpius scowled, "What? Slytherins aren't evil and I know her brothers have been mean to you in the past but she's not like that, she's really nice and she doesn't like bullying. In fact, she was scared to talk to me for ages because of James being my cousin because he and his cronies pick on her sometimes. But now we get along, we usually sit together in History of Magic and talk. I really, really like her. And I want to ask her to Hogsmeade, I'm just scared she'll say no or that someone better will ask her first because well, she's super pretty."

"You don't sit with Orous in History of Magic?"

"I usually fall asleep through it," Orous shrugged in explanation.

"I don't think Albus will like her though because of her being a Slytherin and because of her brothers but you'd like her if you got to know her," Vern defended his crush.

"Have you asked her out yet?" Scorpius asked curiously, surprised at himself for being off-put by her for the same reasons Vern had just said.

"Not yet, the Hogsmeade trip isn't until the end of October and it's only the start now. It's plenty of time to practice."

"You want to practice asking her out?"

"Practice this spell," Vern told him with a cautious smile, "She likes birds and flowers, just look at that flower barrette. So I... I found this spell that animates paper and I was going to write down on paper that would she like to go out with me then fold it into an origami bird, give it a flower and have it fly over to her. What... What do you think? Do you think she'd like that? It's like different and romantic, right?"

"I... I guess," Scorpius offered and Vern's face fell at his lack of enthusiasm, "It's just that... well... She's a Slytherin and you're a Hufflepuff. And she's a pure-blood, you're a muggle-born and she might have a problem with dating you because of that. Plus Harry Potter's your uncle and her grandfather was a Death Eater sent to Azkaban, she might have a problem with that."

"She's not like that," Vern protested.

"I'm just saying, I come from that world where purity matters especially when it comes to dating. I hope it goes well for you but just... try not get your hopes up too much in case it doesn't go well, okay?"

"What is wrong with you people?" Maurice complained irritably.

"When you start liking girls, you'll understand," Corin told him, which only made Maurice scowl more.

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me?"

"Because it's true."

"The only possible useful purpose for relationships is to reproduce offspring to stop the human race from dying out, students in this school are too young for this thus dating within Hogwarts is completely pointless," Maurice reeled off to which Corin rolled his eyes, "And outside of Hogwarts, there's a war going on and times of war are the worst possible times for offspring to be born. So at the absolute minimum, dating should only be done by adults not in Hogwarts at such a time when the Shadow War has ended and only for the purpose of reproducing offspring. Furthermore, dating should be about selecting the mate with the most ideal characteristics that you wish to pass on to the offspring and this has nothing to do with looks or even personality. The most desirable traits are health, power and intelligence so you should be looking for the female with the best personal and familial health record, high intelligence and very powerfully magically. Bear in mind, all relationships end badly and mothers tend to abandon their offspring so choosing a female you don't feel attached to will make it less painful."

"Maurice, you're a great friend," Vern offered and patted Maurice on the back with a sympathetic expression, "But you have really serious issues."

"Also a word of advice when asking someone out, Vern or Orous," Corin spoke up.

"Unless I start dying my hair, wearing contact lenses and spray-tanning my skin," Orous interrupted, "I don't think I'd have any chance of dating anyone anytime soon."

"Well anyway, try not to phrase asking a girl out as," Corin continued and switched to a very robotic voice, "'Female, I believe you would be a good potential choice for producing offspring with when we have reached adulthood and the war has ended.'"

"I'll try," Vern commented as everyone but Maurice laughed at the impression, Maurice simply frowned.

"Laugh all you want, I know I'm right," Maurice insisted.

"Well good look trying to ask someone out when all the criteria is met," Corin offered with a shrug and Maurice looked even more offended.

"I still wouldn't do that. Deafness is not something I'd ever want to risk passing onto my offspring-"

"They're called _children_."

"-Offspring so I would never do it anyway. Plus, I only said that was the only possible way I think it could ever possibly be useful, not for me specifically. Kissing looks gross and reproduction sounds icky and I have no desire to be hurt over being abandoned by someone I would theoretically care about."

"Oh brother," Orous sighed and Maurice rolled his eyes, Scorpius just shook his head hopelessly and opened the book.

"This is why it's more fun arguing with Rose, she actually bothers putting passion into her arguments," Maurice insisted while Scorpius skimmed the contents to find the right page, turning to it had apparently not gone unnoticed by Maurice, "Why are you looking up the Doubling Charm?"

"Because I had this idea," Scorpius pointed out and explained about duplicating the werewolf bracelet to stop Michael feeling so alone, Maurice grinned but shook his head.

"You're thinking too small, you need to duplicate it so that lots of people can wear it."

"I don't follow," Vern said in confusion.

"Think about it," Maurice volunteered and gestured with his free hand as if indicating more.

"The more people wear it the less that Michael will feel alone?" Scorpius guessed.

"Close, but no. What's the point of having these werewolf bracelets at all? To identify werewolves," Maurice started to explain, sounding more enthusiastic than he had since before the summer, "Look at this way, what's the point in having Hogwarts school uniforms? And Beauxbatons school uniforms? To identify them as from their respective houses. If everyone started wearing Hogwarts robes, say children not old enough yet and those who'd graduated and those from other schools. What happens then?"

"I don't know," Corin complained.

"It means it no longer represents Hogwarts anymore, if everyone's wearing it then you can't tell which are the real students and which are not anymore. It no longer identifies Hogwarts students, making the uniform obsolete and it's the same with these bracelets. If werewolves and non-werewolves alike are wearing these bracelets then there's no way to tell just by looking who the real werewolves are anymore, making them pointless and obsolete."

"That's brilliant," Scorpius realized and Maurice flashed him a smile.

Maurice abandoned whatever he'd been doing in favor of helping Scorpius with the spell, it was a tricky spell but he'd been successful once by lunch and both worked through lunch - Scorpius' face felt scarlet just thinking about what had happened in the Great Hall that morning - to work at it. By dinner, Scorpius was perfectly capable of recreating things and Maurice had had a lot of practice in eliminating duplicates. They headed down to dinner eagerly and Scorpius' good mood was again squashed by taunts, however people were thankfully too busy with eating to bother with him during the actual meal.  
Marigold came over to him at one point, tapping him on the shoulder to ask him to bring Michael up some soup and give him permission to take food and a bowl from the table. Scorpius did so, waking a sleepy Michael up to eat - with painful slowness - and getting him some water before Michael collapsed back into slumber. The other two in their dormitory threw dark looks Michael way until Albus silenced them with words after they went to the bathroom, hopefully to brush their teeth. He'd filled the others in on the plan at dinner but refrained from telling Michael, getting him to eat seemed more important and it could wait another day. Michael was surprisingly up for breakfast, he looked like death but he was up and trudged at a snail-like pace down to the Great Hall. Scorpius was still being mocked, why couldn't everyone forget about that already? At breakfast was when he finally filled them in on the counsellor and how he had been completely right all along.

"Well done," Rose sighed sadly, "Congratulations on being right."

"Thank you," Maurice said happily.

"But that doesn't mean you're always right, or that there's always something going on."

"Actually, it does because I'm right because I'm smart."

"And I'm not?!" Rose demanded angrily and Maurice smirked.

"Not as smart as me, clearly if you couldn't see through such a thinly veiled attempt to steal information from the lesser minded amongst us. Even Latimer saw through it and I'd had him pegged a lot less intelligent than you."

"It has nothing to do with intelligence, I'm just a more trusting person than you. And a smarter one."

"Being trusting is another way of saying being stupid."

"Scorpius," Michael interjected while Rose and Maurice continued bickering, "Why do random people keep saying weird things to you mockingly?"

"Because yesterday he ran down here in his pajamas and cast a Patronus at Ashain, when nothing happened he stammered about having a dream with Ashain then ran away," Albus explained helpfully and Scorpius through him a dark look, did _everyone_ have to know?

"What dream?" Michael asked curiously as the post arrived, surprising everyone was the fact that a letter dropped before Michael and Scorpius recognized Jack's handwriting.

"Wow, you actually got a letter for once," Abby wondered in surprise before giving him a kind smile, "That must be nice."

"I only didn't before because of my stepdad and he's gone now anyway," Michael shrugged as he opened it with a scowl, "This is from Jack, I thought it'd be from Crystal if she got better. Weird."

"What do you mean 'he's gone'?" Albus asked in confusion as Michael skimmed through the letter, shrugging at Albus' question.

"Your dad arrested him, he's locked up as far as I know."

"My Dad? What? Why?"

"Because..." Michael hesitated for a moment, possibly debating whether to be honest or not, how to phrase it or simply finishing the bit he was reading, "My stepdad used to beat the shit out of me."

Albus, Abby and Corin's jaws all dropped - Corin's spoonful of cereal missing his mouth and dropping unnoticed onto his robes - as they turned to gape at Michael, Rose stopped mid-argument with Maurice - much to Maurice's annoyance as he probably hadn't been paying attention to what Michael was saying to translate - to stare at Michael in shock. Michael was either completely oblivious or just didn't care as he continued reading his letter, even Scorpius was surprised that Michael had just casually announced it like that but he had known beforehand so it wasn't so much of a shock.

"Still weird," Michael told them as he folded the letter back up, "All of a sudden he's anxious how I'm doing, what is up with that? Why are you all looking at me like I turned into a werewolf?"

"Your stepdad..." Albus began but trailed off.

"Ask your dad if you don't believe me," Michael shrugged as he went back to his food, "It doesn't matter anymore."

"I-I'm sorry," Rose offered quietly and they continued eating in silence, Maurice still in the dark as he looked between them all with a scowl.

"Okay," Maurice said finally which only earned him half-glances, "So are you going to tell Michael about the bracelet thing and do it?"

"The bracelet thing?" Michael wondered in confusion and everyone else seemed to perk up at the change of subject, Scorpius had forgotten it momentarily in his surprise at Michael's willingness to admit about Bob. Maurice quickly filled him in though, Michael didn't look half as impressed as they did but he handed his bracelet to Scorpius anyway, "I doubt it'll make a difference but feel free to give it a shot. And give it back quickly before Midas complains."

Scorpius eagerly took the bracelet and duplicated it eight times - for him, Rose, Albus, Abby, Corin, Maurice, Vern and Orous - which they all put on, Corin went to go give the two Hufflepuffs theirs and Scorpius returned the original to Michael. His good mood returning as he eyed the bracelet resting beside the friendship one as the bell went, it felt oddly good to be a rebel. The bell went just after and they parted with the Third Years to head to Defense Against the Dark Arts, they'd moved onto Counter-Curses last week but it remained his favorite class. Scorpius just hoped Professor Ashain would forget about the whole Patronus breakfast incident.

"Erm... Sorry for asking but why are you guys - and girls - all wearing werewolf bracelets?" Knight wondered in surprise as he took a seat near them.

"Taking a stand against a stupid system and that bitch Midas, not that a Slytherin would understand," Albus announced grandly but Knight didn't seem to notice the tone of superiority as he grinned from ear to ear.

"Give us some, I can hand them out to my friends and we can do it too!"

"I don't think it's a Slytherin-"

"Absolutely," Scorpius agreed and took off his own copy to duplicate, "How many do you want?"

"Err... Ten to start, I'll ask for more if I run out," Knight told him and Scorpius duplicated the bands ten times, handing them to Knight who put one on and handed some of the rest out to his friends.

"Can I have one?" Cassia Ashain asked and Scorpius jumped, not having noticed the small six year old near him, "And one for Antonius, I don't like Midas and to hell with bitches!"

"Al, you really need to work on your language in front of the little ones," Abby complained while Scorpius duplicated two more for the Ashain kids, Cassia happily skipping away back to her brother as the professor started the lesson.

Scorpius was immensely pleased with the result and it only got better. Knight approached him again during Divination the following day to ask for more since he'd ran out, Byron Knight also approached him nervously at lunch to ask for one and two extra for his friends. After Quidditch practice, Freddie, Louis and Caitlin all took some to give to their Seventh Year friends as well as for themselves, Rufus Rhett - despite barely knowing them - also took one and some for his First Year friends, Lily as well and for her Second Year friends too, Roxy did the same for her and her Fifth Year friends and even Carver was begrudgingly obliged to take one.

"I still hate you," Carver complained to Michael as he put it on, "I just don't hate you specifically for being a werewolf."

Molly and Latimer took one as well although none for their friends, Latimer because he had none and Molly because her only other friend was Mirra. Mirra had already approached him for one and some for her friends, as had Krum's daughter Grozda who knew Michael from over the summer, Mirra's brother the Ravenclaw Seeker - now also Captain - Sequoia Pentakel also approached him and asked for a lot to give out, Mirra's Second Year sister Eliza - who Scorpius had never met - also approached to ask for some. Olivia Nott also - someone else he'd never spoken to - approached him to ask for some, Maximus Nott from their year also asked for one weirdly. At his next Study of Ancient Runes lesson, Professor Kresmir made him stay back.

"Y'know, I've noticed that you've been wearing that werewolf bracelet despite not being a werewolf as have several others," Professor Kresmir told him and Scorpius swallowed nervously but was ready to hold his ground.

"Yes, Sir," Scorpius confirmed unashamedly, "There's no law that says you can't."

"I see," Professor Kresmir nodded before smiling widely as he winked, "And I also see what you're doing here, I agree that it's a complete bollocks law anyway. If you could see one my way then you'll have part of the teacher vote."

Scorpius could only smile as he duplicated one for the professor and it wasn't the last time either. Professors Ashain, Longbottom, Koray - whose son also wore one as he'd befriended Byron apparently, Hagrid - he had to enlarge that one and Vipera all asked for one, as did Elina. He was approached by Krum, Oring and a begrudging Rivers for ones as well, despite not having them for any class and weirdly enough _Grant_ asked for one. He was really taking the 'sucking up to Professor Ashain to not be arrested for torturing him' far. Marigold the Head Healer also asked for one and Scorpius was proud to see that the majority of staff opposed the werewolf identifying bracelets, the look on Midas' face was priceless.

"Wha- Bu- Y- What?" Midas stammered in bewilderment as she looked at them, "You four are not werewolves."

"No, we're not," Scorpius confirmed and stretched his arms, deliberately making sure his sleeves fell back to make the bracelet even more obvious.

"You can't wear them, they're for werewolves only."

"These are fakes."

"Well take them off."

"Why? It's not breaking the dress code, is it? Because that would mean that actual werewolves aren't allowed to wear them either which breaks the law," Scorpius asked as innocently as he could manage.

Midas opened and closed her mouth a few times before sealing it. Her eyes met his and burned with unabashed hatred before she stalked back to the front of the class and began the less, Scorpius allowed a smile to play on his lips. The bracelets had killed the humiliation over the dream thing, not even his counsellor meeting tomorrow could break his spirit. His bracelet idea had caught on better than he'd really thought, if he could do that then he could handle one hour long meeting with a spy.


	18. IV: Leebin

_**Author's Note: **__Thanks so much to Leandriel-Whitestorm for reviewing! And I do get where you're coming from about Calderon and Annie, and there are ways for them to meet but none of that is organic to the plot of this book right now I'm afraid and even if they did, there's still next to no chance of them getting together. I'm planning on doing Calderon flashbacks for the next book, if you're still reading by then then you should understand more his complete aversion to dating_

**_First i was wondering if Ashains "insanity" was result of hiding the scepter (you know like when Dumbledore drank the weird potion in the cave.) i was wondering if it was something like that, tho now it seems it might not._**  
_Too spoilery to answer, I'm afraid but I will say you're on the right track_

**_Will Michael not tell Neville about Nick at some point? _**  
_Neville is suffering severely out of guilt for how he treated Nick near his death and guilt that Nick died in his arms, that he couldn't save him. Michael isn't going to tell Neville about the stone at least because he's too afraid of having the stone taken from him but something is going to happen with them three soon enough_

**_Does Grant take the bracelet really only cause of Ashains threatening him or does he take it cause he dont like the Ministry or the general idea. Did he maybe get over his prejudice?_**  
_Grant took the bracelet because he is generally trying to be a better person, the events of last the werewolf attack really shook him because people he'd pegged as bad were really the ones who saved the day so he is genuinely trying to judge people for who they are and not who he assumes them to be. Michael and Mordekai are really the ones responsible for the attack ending and the werewolves retreating, both of whom are werewolves so Grant thinks its unfair how people are acting towards werewolves and is against the bracelet thing. His taking one had nothing to do with Ashain, Scorpius just thinks its the only logical reason because he hates Grant_

* * *

Jack didn't understand it. He'd managed to get back on his feet, paid off the rent, written to Michael, visited Crystal, quenched his thirst and gotten things generally back on track. There was three niggling differences however, one was that his vision. Now everyone he looked at had an aura. Every man, woman and child that he passed in the streets had an aura of white, gray or black and of slightly varying shades although white was the majority. Everything also seemed darker no matter where he was, everything looked as if it was in shadows even if it was in bright sunlight. Not that he liked the sunlight anymore, it made him feel oddly uncomfortable. He'd also discovered that he could see in the dark now, he could make out shapes - and still see auras - even in pitch-blackness. The change in vision was rather disconcerting but he thought he was finally getting used to it, he couldn't do anything about it either and he also had yet to discover his promised power.

The second was his own appearance, he wasn't sure if it was just because of how he viewed the world now but he always thought he looked tinted as if in shadow as well. And his eyes, you didn't notice it immediately but if he stared into the mirror then you'd realize that his pupils were no longer circular. The edges were all lumpy and they seemed to move like the blobs in a lava lamp around the iris, he'd first suspected something when a checkout assistant had given him a double take. It didn't seem to affect his vision but it was strange, he also thought he saw similar lumps only more like shadows that bobbed randomly across his skin but he only really noticed it if he was naked or sometimes in short sleeves. He wasn't sure he trusted his eyes anymore but if it wasn't a trick then there was also that, thankfully it wasn't too noticeable though and even if someone did notice then they'd just chalk it up to a trick of the light because shadows made shading oddly.

The third and most pressing thing though, was the hunger. He was so hungry, he'd managed to quench his thirst but his hunger was insatiable. He'd eat until his body physically could not eat anymore and he'd _still_ be hungry, he was so hungry that he literally licked the plate or bowl or piece of cutlery for every last sliver of food, he was so hungry that he'd even lick the packaging but he'd still be hungry. He was so desperate that he'd start eating things like butter or sugar or salt, he could eat every scrap of food in his apartment in a day and still feel starved. He was so hungry that it hurt, it actually _hurt_. Gnawing, clawing, digging in its nails, desperately biting at his insides to give him something that he craved, painkillers didn't help and he could only lie there curled up in agony as his stuffed - but still surprisingly slim - body starved for no apparent reason. And it only got worse.

"What do you want?!" Jack cried to no one in particular as he lay on the floor of his kitchen, clutching his stomach as the agony ate away at him inside amidst a graveyard of plates, bowls, cutlery and empty boxes. He couldn't exactly go to a doctor either, "Why is this happening?!"

_You're hungry, Jack_, a familiar voice spoke into his mind as if whispering.

"I know I'm bloody hungry! And One?! Haven't you heard me calling for you?! What is wrong with me?!"

_I'm weak, merging your soul to me and breaking from her... Well it took every ounce of strength I've had, it's slow to regain it_

"Why am I so hungry?" Jack begged to know.

_You've long since satisfied your body's physical hunger and thirst, you- we need something else_

"What do you mean?"

_Shadows don't require physical sustenance, we feed off of pain. Now we're merged and we still require pain, we've been neglecting that need_

"F-F-Feed off pain?" Jack stammered out fearfully, not liking how that sounded in any way, shape or form.

_Yes. We need pain. We need to kill. We need to tear someone's soul apart and feed on that agony_

"I'm not killing anyone."

_But you must if you want us to survive, you must if you want magical powers. Your body will be able to cope with the magic from a witch or wizard now because of me being merged with you but we still need to get it from someone in the first place since it's not naturally occurring in either of us. Find a witch or wizard and tear their soul apart, we can take their power and feed of the pain the destruction causes them_

"I told you, no!" Jack yelled firmly, "I did this to protect my son, not become a murderer!"

_You can't protect anyone like this!_

"I'm not doing it!"

_Fine. I don't actually have the strength to argue with you. Just lie here in useless agony, tell me when you've had enough and change your mind_

"I don't change my mind," Jack promised but One gave no answer, only the hunger pain remained.

* * *

"Wish me luck," Scorpius sighed to his friends as the bell went to signal the end of lunch, meaning he now had to have his counselling session. They muttered their wishes of luck as he gloomily left, annoyed that he'd be missing Defense Against the Dark Arts - or at least most of it since it was a double - even if it was just their Patronus lesson. He was so absorbed by his annoyance that he didn't immediately notice Professor Ashain going in his direction for a minute, they were heading for different floors but still up the Grand Staircase, "Hey Professor Ashain."

"What? Oh hey, Scor," Professor Ashain greeted him, also apparently having been too lost in thought to notice him. It was the first time Scorpius had had a chance to talk to him alone except for when he'd given the professor a bracelet hastily in a rush to hurry before the next lesson.

"I erm... I'm sorry about the whole Patronus breakfast thing," Scorpius apologized and felt his cheeks flushing scarlet.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," Professor Ashain brushed it off, also looking slightly embarrassed but gave him a reassuring smile anyway, "I don't hold it against you."

"I'm glad. I am sorry, it was just a weird dream when you were possessed..." Scorpius started to say and hesitated for a moment, allowing himself to wonder for the briefest of moments if it had been real and the Specter had just left him since the morning, "There's no... no chance that you were possessed that night and hanging out in a bathroom, is there? I mean you were a little weird near the start of term."

"Of course not, zero chance. Hogwarts is protected, Specters can't possess gray souls - which I am - against their will - and I'd never agree to that - and I'm not a metamorphmagus so my eyes would be black. Plus I take something to help me sleep every night now to stop that... weirdness so there's no chance I was wandering about," Professor Ashain assured him and Scorpius felt much more relieved and maybe a little silly, "I'm fine. If anything then I was wondering about you, it's not a fun experience being laughed at like that."

"No, it wasn't," Scorpius admitted and felt his cheeks flushing again.

"Similar thing happened to me once back when I was a Fifth Year, I worked up the courage to ask out this girl - Kitty McGuire - who I had had a crush on for years but I stupidly did it at breakfast when everyone else was about. She said no of course, mocked me and then pointed and laughed at me. And then her friends started laughing at me. And then everyone was just kind of laughing at me. And I ran away crying... Fun times."

"That doesn't sound very fun."

"It really wasn't, at the time it was pretty humiliating and soul-destroying. I was being sarcastic," Professor Ashain pointed out, "But the student population is fickle, they forget these things pretty quickly when something else comes along. Plus in my case, having an older brother who hexed anyone who tried to bring it up probably helped, he also cursed Kitty with these terrible boils too. Never had any luck with women. And this is my floor."

"I'm sorry about having to miss the class for this stupid counselling thing," Scorpius sighed as his gloom returned, "Isn't there any way you could get me out of it?"

"I wish but we're not allowed, staff have to do them too and I can't get out of that either," Professor Ashain apologized before giving a derisive snort as he folded his arms, "But I would if I could, stupidest waste of time if ever I heard it."

"I know, right?" Scorpius agreed, "They could've thought of a less insulting lie to spy on us, I mean counselling? Do they think we're weak and stupid and pathetic?"

"It is ridiculous, people don't need counselling, and it's just a way to make money or get information. How is yabbering on to a random person supposed to help?"

"Exactly! People need to deal with things themselves."

"And if you wanted to talk that badly then you'd speak to someone you trusted, a friend or family or professor."

"Exactly, see that makes much more sense to me."

"And to me."

"You two have a very definite pureblood attitude, you know that?" a new voice commented and both turned to see a man standing listening to them, Scorpius recognized him vaguely as one of the counsellors. He had unruly reddish brown hair and oval-shaped spectacles, he looked maybe a bit younger than Chastity Prinkett and was dressed in normal wizard robes although had a scarf on oddly.

"Neither of us has a problem with blood purity," Scorpius pointed out defensively.

"No, no, you misunderstand," the counsellor protested as he smiled and held up his hands, "I simply mean in your attitude to this, pure-bloods especially are very self-containing. They're raised to believe that problems should be dealt with internally, not announced to the world and that outside help is a sign of weakness. This is very damaging to your mental health, sometimes people need help and it's perfectly alright to ask for it."

"That's absolutely not true."

"Yes. And even if anyone did have that attitude then I don't see how it's damaging," Professor Ashain agreed testily, the counsellor smiled.

"Really? You don't see how a stubborn, unyielding attitude to outside help with issues could be damaging?"

"No," Scorpius and Professor Ashain said together.

"Well let's take you for example," the counsellor began and gestured to the professor, "From my observations on you, I'd guess you suffered through some kind of traumatic event in your early childhood... maybe at five or six? And it scarred you mentally, leaving you prone to these bouts of depression that you naturally never get help for because that would be weak. Instead struggle with it by yourself, sometimes overcoming it and sometimes spiraling dangerously and succumbing to suicidal thoughts. You also have poor socialization skills which really doesn't help anything."

"Well that's completely wrong," Professor Ashain scoffed and yanked his sleeves oddly violently down to his palms before shoving them into his pockets, the counsellor looked surprised at being accused of being wrong, "I'm nothing like that and your theories are stupid. I'll see you in an hour, Scor... Good luck."

"Thanks," Scorpius sighed and threw the counsellor an irritated look before starting to climb the final flight of stairs, annoyed when he realized the man was following him, "Don't you have students' brains to pick?"

"Yes, yes I do," the counsellor confirmed as they reached the next floor, the man continued down it with Scorpius, "You shouldn't believe everything he says you know, there's nothing wrong with counselling."

"Save your spiel for your next poor sap," Scorpius complained, not liking how he'd insulted them both for being purebloods and was even more annoyed when the man continued to follow him to the room that Scorpius' session was supposed to be in. He knocked but got no reply, his frown deepened as he turned back to the man, "And tell that Flannery Leebin woman that she's late."

"Ah, I see," the man mused before chuckling to himself, "Did you ever hear about my great aunt?"

"No," Scorpius said firmly and wished the man would go away, he was planning on leaving as soon as. He shouldn't have to wait for a late counsellor.

"Her name was Flannery and my mother was very close to her, she raised my mother you see but unfortunately she died when my mother was pregnant. To honor her, my mother decided to name the child after her and as it turned out, that child was a boy. And me. And so I was saddled with the somewhat unfortunate name of Flannery Logan Leebin for all eternity."

"I am really sorry," Scorpius apologized as his face burned scarlet once more at his mistake but Leebin simply chuckled.

"It's alright, my father insisted upon the middle name Logan to try make it sound manlier. What's the story behind your name?" Leebin asked as he unlocked the door and led Scorpius inside.

"My family on my grandmother's side name kids after stars," Scorpius shrugged, seeing the room had a similar layout to the one Latimer had been in except Leebin's couch was vomit-colored.

"How interesting," Leebin mused as he sat down at the chair beside the desk, his desk however was rather a mess and he had to dig through the files to find his note book and the file with Scorpius' name on it. He glanced at it briefly before sitting with the notebook and gestured for Scorpius to take a seat, "Please, sit. I know you don't want to be here but you may as well be comfortable."

"Who picked the couch color?" Scorpius asked as he sat, wondering why anyone in existence would want a vomit-colored couch. Especially someone who supposedly wanted people to feel at ease so he could probe them for information, he thought he'd actually prefer it if they did something less subtle like legillimancy.

"Oh, I did. A nice aqua blue," Leebin announced told him cheerfully and Scorpius' confusion must've shown on his face before his smile wavered, "Or maybe not, I'm color-blind you see. True story, one time for several hours I thought I had a son because of the bright blue blanket I saw but it actuality, it was a pink blanket that she'd been wrapped in. Ironically my daughter is also color-blind, last Christmas she asked for lots of girlie pink things since it's all the rage and was distraught that everything my wife chose was blue."

"How amusing," Scorpius told him disinterestedly and distrustfully, "Is this a real daughter or just an attempt to gain my trust?"

"Oh she's real," Leebin assured him and dug inside his robes for a wallet, flipping it open to show him a picture of a little girl about two or three who bore a strong resemblance to Leebin including his hair and wore a pink floral dress. Leebin was also in the picture along with a dainty dark haired woman who shared the little girl's eyes, an elaborate hoax if it was one and Leebin wore a wedding ring, "Tell me, are you this distrustful of all Ministry employees, just counsellors or just me personally?"

"What?" Scorpius asked stupidly, unsure whether to answer honestly or not as Leebin put away his wallet and scribbled something down in his notebook. Scorpius missed being under the cloak and able to read the secret notes.

"You clearly dislike this idea and are distrustful but why? Is it because we're from the Ministry? Because that's understandable, why should you trust people who continue to disbelieve you about things you're so sure of? Or is it just the idea of counselling in general? Because that's an understandable side effect from being a pureblood, you also clearly put a lot of stock in Ashain so why should you believe what he doesn't? Or is just because you dislike me personally? Because that's understandable, not everyone can like everyone else although a few minutes isn't the best amount of time to judge, I'm often criticized for being too talkative and scatter-brained. However, if you want another counsellor then you need only ask and I'll reschedule it with someone else for you. This is for your benefit after all, it's not going to help you much if you sit there in loathing for an hour. Or alternatively just because you're missing your favorite class? Or something else?"

"All of them. But don't bother changing counsellor, I'll sit here loathing for the whole hour. If this is really for my benefit, then you should just save time and let me go now."

"I know that's what you want but it's not what's best for you in my opinion, you've been through some highly traumatic events the past few years and sometimes it really is best to talk about things. I want you to be completely honest with me, if you don't want to say the truth then just say that you don't want to say that instead of lying because then things just get complicated. Alright?" Leebin asked and Scorpius grunted in acknowledgement, having a feeling that he'd be saying he didn't want to talk it a lot. Leebin scribbled something down and Scorpius eyed the quill darkly, wondering what lies he was writing, "What?"

"What?"

"You just started glaring at me randomly. Is something the matter?"

"No," Scorpius lied.

"What did I just say about lies?" Leebin sighed and Scorpius glanced at the quill again, wondering if he was going to write down that Scorpius was suddenly a liar but Leebin seemed to follow his gaze, "We just take notes because well... there's a lot of students, it helps me anyway to keep track and not get information mixed up. Does it bother you?"

"No..." Scorpius started to say but Leebin tilted his head to one side disbelieving, he had said to be honest, "Well yes."

"It's nothing bad."

"Of course not," Scorpius quipped sarcastically and Leebin turned the book over to show him what he'd written.

_**Scorpius Malfoy **_

_Distrustful - Ministry, counsellors, me. Making miss lesson liked (all)_

_Auror mode_

_Suspicious_

"See, nothing bad," Leebin insisted as he slowly took it back, "I asked you about why you were distrustful, I think it would be fair to say you're suspicious of me but that goes with distrust and your name is rather self-explanatory really."

"Why did you write 'Auror mode'?" Scorpius wondered in confusion.

"Ah well, you see usually I do evaluations on Aurors or Aurors-In-Training or people wanting to be Aurors. That's my usual job at the Ministry, making sure they're mentally stable enough because it's a dangerous job and it could literally be life or death. But... well, Aurors particularly absolutely _hate_ being evaluated with a passion, they see it as kind of an insult that they're even there. Auror mode is just my way of saying that you don't want to be here as you said in your own words, it's just shorter to write."

"Oh right."

"Would it make you feel better if I didn't keep notes?"

"A bit," Scorpius muttered with a shrug and Leebin closed the notebook, putting it on the desk without further comment.

"So is there anything in particular that you would like to talk about?" Leebin asked as he cleared his throat and leaned back.

"No."

"Alright. Would you like to tell me about the werewolf attack on Hogsmeade, or anything about the duel with Florian or the Ministry attack?"

"No."

"Alright. Would you like to tell me about Pandoran Hills, or anything about your near-death experience in the Quidditch match attack, or the attack on the start of term feast or the Diagon Alley attack?"

"No."

"Alright. Would you like to tell me about the Shadow attack on the school, or anything about the memorial attack or that whole ordeal in your First Year?"

"No."

"Alright. Would you like to tell me about your abduction?"

"No!"

"Okay, you don't need to shout. I can't force you to talk about anything so if you don't feel comfortable about it then there's nothing I can actually do, well I could but unlike _some_ people, I don't believe counselling should involve threats. Would you like to tell me about your grandfather and sister's deaths?"

"No. Wait, Lyra had nothing to do with the Soul Eaters, why would you want to know about her?" Scorpius wondered in confusion and Leebin scowled.

"Because the loss of a sibling can be a traumatic thing, I'm here to help you in anyway not just Shadow-related things. It just so happens that quite a few of the traumatic events were Shadow-related but that's not why I'm here."

"Really? It's just... I... I heard from a friend that he got the impression that they were interested in information only not about helping them," Scorpius admitted hesitantly and Leebin looked away, "What?"

"Nothing. But I assure you that _I _am genuinely here in the best interests of the pupils," Leebin shrugged it off but Scorpius got the definite impression that he was hiding something or at least seemed unhappy about something, "Do you like Wizard's Chess?"

"Y-Yes," Scorpius confirmed without meaning to, he'd been taken off-guard by the randomness of the question and Leebin was smiling when he looked back to him.

"I thought you might," Leebin mused as he began searching in the desk for a board and pieces to set up, "You can be whites, they move first."

The rest of the hour passed much more pleasantly, Leebin wasn't especially talented at chess but he wasn't so easy that it was boring. Leebin only asked him things that Scorpius didn't mind saying, about what subjects he liked and disliked or about Quidditch, he didn't think he could give anything away from talking about those. Occasionally Leebin would throw in a more uncomfortable question such as asking what he'd thought of Florian or Headmistress McGonagall as teachers but for the most part, it was actually alright.

"And alas, our hour is up," Leebin pointed out after a while, just as Scorpius checkmated him again as Leebin had yet to win, "I am sorely out of practice with this game."

"Maybe you'll have better luck next time," Scorpius shrugged as he headed off, oddly afraid that if he didn't leave now then he never would, "Bye."

"One more thing!" Leebin protested and Scorpius looked back in surprise, "Can I have one of those bracelets?"


	19. IV: Different Perspectives

_**Thanks to:** Lucifersdaughter, A Guest, Winged-panther1 and CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey for reviewing!_

* * *

_"-Not that there's probably going to be much there with all this stupid war stuff going on," Aubrey was complaining at breakfast one of the days in August of 1997, even more shops had been closing down in the wake of the Wizarding War. Much to his annoyance._

_"Darn that war interfering with our spending habits," Audrey quipped sarcastically but naturally, it went over her twin's head._

_"Exactly, it's most inconsiderate of them."_

_"Darn those inconsiderate Death Eaters."_

_"I know, right?"_

_"And here," Mavis announced brightly in her strong American accent as she came over with the pancakes and piled the star shaped ones onto Roman's plate, she smiled and kissed his cheek, "Little stars for my little star."_

_"Thanks Mommy," Roman thanked her happily and dug into them while Mavis went over to give the twins theirs._

_"And crowns for my prince and princess," Mavis continued before moving over to put the heart shaped ones onto her own and Magnus' plate, "And hearts for me and my love. And where is your father?"_

_"His study I think, he'll probably be along in a minute," Audrey shrugged as she snatched up the syrup to bury the pancakes before Aubrey could as usual._

_"Save some for me," Aubrey moaned._

_"Share or there'll be no syrup," Mavis told them firmly and Audrey handed the syrup over with an unhappy expression before Mavis beamed at something behind Roman and flitted over, Roman turned back to recognize Magnus' arrival, "Morning, love."_

_Mavis kissed her husband quickly in greeting and remained smiling cheerfully despite his lack of reaction, Magnus wore a severely stoic expression that those who knew him knew was his usual expression. He was tall and thin but unusual for a pureblood wizard though, was Magnus' intense dislike for robes which always gave him something of a muggle vibe. That day he'd decided to dress entirely in black which gave Roman something of an eerie vibe, his cropped raven black hair contributed to this despite being flecked with gray while making his eyes stand out even more, a shade of blue the color of the sky on a crystal clear day. None of his children had inherited that, they all had their mother's brown eyes. They were piercing and always gave Roman the impression that he could see right through you, which may not be untrue as he could always tell when one of them were lying. He sat at the table silently and started on his food, cutting every plain piece into a perfect square before eating while Mavis sat and started up conversation with the twins about their trip to Diagon Alley that day. Roman wasn't allowed to go because it was his birthday in two weeks and they might get presents for him, meaning he couldn't be there to ruin the surprise._

_"If we see what shops are open first then it's a good judge of how much money we need to take out of Gring-"_

_"No," Magnus interrupted his wife abruptly mid-sentence, everyone looked at him as he spoke in his calm, controlled voice, "Aubrey and Audrey are twenty years old in December, it's about time they did these things by themselves and time they're trusted to get money from the family vault themselves."_

_"But now?" Mavis wondered while the twins looked eager at the prospect of free reign, they'd been out alone before but not with access to the vault, "With the world the way it is?"_

_"They'll have to get used to it at some point, we won't live forever."_

_"But Roman's tenth birthday...?"_

_"Just go on a different day, they should be able to get their own brother gifts from themselves by now," Magnus told her and Mavis opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sold on the idea but trusting of Magnus._

_"Alright," Mavis agreed while Magnus went back to his food without another word, "You two can go alone. You do remember the vault number, don't you? And you won't forget to bring a jacket, I know its summer but you never know, sometimes it's cold and you'd rather have it than not. And another thing..."_

* * *

James was happy to be back in Hogwarts, being suspended wasn't especially fun and he still saw next to nothing of his dad. He'd been forbidden from contacting his friends and actually spent most of his time with his grandparents, he wouldn't mind this if they weren't forever burying him in chores as punishment. Or sometimes things to do with the wedding, having to be dragged along with Victoire, Dom, Gabrielle, his mother, grandmother and Andromeda to look at wedding dresses. He was happy for his cousin and Teddy, he really was but it didn't make looking for wedding dresses any more fun. Everyone but Dom and Gabrielle seemed to find this incredibly fascinating and obsessed over every detail, Gabrielle might've enjoyed it more if she didn't struggle to get around from being the size of a small mountain and frequently needed the bathroom while Dom... Well she just seemed quiet. James didn't see why it took so long, Victoire was pretty and dresses were ugly no matter what they picked so what did it matter really? Being stabbed with a zillion pins for a perfect dress robe fitting wasn't fun either.

His dad had so little time for him that he actually sent Cel to pick him up to take him to the Ministry instead, James didn't mind that so much because Cel was awesome. And perfect and fun, and handsome, and smart and funny, and handsome, and cool and powerful, and handsome. James wished he was more like Cel. And Cel hadn't even yelled at him for getting suspended like most people, even Teddy had but James didn't see why. His hating Dragon-breath had nothing to do with him being a werewolf and everything to do with him being an asshole. He hoped Cel wouldn't go all lame and responsible too. His dad still was giving him the cold shoulder, just handing him the Floo powder in his office to go and following a moment later. James had never been gladder to see a disfigured freak than he was when he saw the scarred Headmaster and the walls of portraits, he was just relieved to be back.

"Ah, Mr Harry Potter, sir! It's an honor to meet you again," Elwood babbled excitedly, his dad gave a strained smile in return.

"Yes, yes. I was wondering if you could do me a favor," his dad said and Elwood's smile looked like it was about to explode at the chance of doing a favor for someone so famous.

"Yes, yes, anything for the greatest hero of our time! If you or Mr Ron Weasley or Mrs Hermione Weasley who used to be Granger need anything at all then I'm your man. You can trust me with anything, I am at your service."

"Great. I wanted to speak to Marius Calderon if that's not too much trouble."

"Oh, yes, yes of course. I'll get him. Right now. For you, Sir Mr Harry Potter Mr," Elwood agreed although seemed a bit disheartened at not being the one needed and didn't seem to notice his gross error in addressing 'Sir Mr Harry Potter Mr'. James snickered while the idiot left until he realized his dad was looking at him with a frown.

"What?" James wondered irritably, how could he possibly be in trouble for that?

"Stay out of trouble, James. I mean it, you _have_ to stop with this bullying people," his dad told him and James felt slightly relieved that he wasn't being told off for laughing at an idiot's stupid comment.

"It's not really bullying," James insisted, not for the first time. Just because his dad had fallen for the silver-tongued lies of certain people, it didn't mean that James had. And Slytherins were just evil. He was doing the right thing keeping them in check, they were future criminals that his dad would probably wind up arresting or killing anyway.

"Don't do it," his dad said firmly with a note of finality.

"Fine," James agreed sulkily, "As long as D-Michael and Malfoy stayed out of his way then I'll leave them alone. Does that make you happy? Because I can hardly just do nothing if they brutally attack me, again."

"Alright," his dad sighed, apparently realizing that was the best he was getting. He looked too tired to argue, the black bags beneath his eyes appeared very heavy. James did feel bad for his dad but he didn't get why he couldn't just take a break, let someone else take over and rest for a bit, spend time with the family he claimed was important. But no, he'd rather work himself to death than have to spend time with his kids. James blamed Vern. After all, why would his dad want to spend time with the son and grandson of people who'd tormented him his entire childhood? Stupid Vern, just because he lost his own dad didn't mean he should take away other people's. Asshole, "Are you going to give me a hug?"

"If you want," James shrugged, trying to be casual as he allowed himself to be hugged. A shame it didn't make up for years of not being there. Carver's dad lived in a different country but he still wrote to Carver more than James' dad did, his dad only paid attention to him if he did something supposedly bad. He smiled at the thought of seeing Carver again though.

"Be good, James, please be good," his dad whispered before pulling apart, "I hope to see you in December and not before, do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad," James confirmed and his dad gestured for him to go, "And don't forget to write. Bye."

"Bye, son."

"Password for the Gryffindor Common Room is 'Dragon's Blood' by the way," one of the portraits called as he went.

James gave an annoyed grunt when his dad was out of earshot, he'd basically confirmed he couldn't be bothered to write by not acknowledging it. What had happened to First Year when he wrote several times a week? Had he really just stopped caring? James didn't know and tried put it out of his mind as he headed back to Gryffindor Tower, it was a Saturday so there were no classes and it also meant it was two weeks before Hogsmeade. He was glad to not have missed it because he was looking forward to hanging out with his friends without the annoying Chrissy, he regretted staying with her so long but he hadn't really wanted to hurt her feelings because he didn't like when girls cried. Plus he'd been desperately hoping puberty would kick in already, he was starting to feel weird about not being girl crazy like normal teenage boys. Stupid slow puberty.

He reached the Common Room, giving the password the portrait had been kind enough to give him and was pleased by the familiar sight. He wasn't pleased however when he saw Carver was sitting, chatting with a dark-haired girl from their year, Tina or Tilly he thought her name was. Carver spotted him though and smiled, bidding the girl goodbye to go over to him but James could only frown, and they'd been sitting oddly close.

"Hey Jay, welcome back," Carver greeted him and James hugged him but continued scowling, "I figure you weren't allowed to write. Were they really mad?"

"Yeah, pretty much. So, Carve, what's with you and Tiffany?" James half-asked, half-demanded.

"You mean Mia?"

"If that's her name then yeah."

"That's the girl I'm taking to Hogsmeade, I asked her out and she said yes. She's telling me the kind of food she likes, since a lot of its been rebuilt and it's harder to plan where to go," Carver told him cheerfully and James' good mood was destroyed by anger dropping in like a bomb, "Pretty cool, right? Mia's pretty."

"Pretty ugly," James scoffed and it was Carver's turn to scowl, "You could totally do better."

"C'mon, I've never had someone say yes when I've asked them out before. They usually just say things like 'you're too fat' or 'I don't like you' or 'I'm not gay'. Mia actually said _yes_. She's pretty and she likes me, bet she's impressed with my muscles, right?" Carver explained and flexed his arm as he did so, he did have impressive muscles. And he was handsome. And damn his voice. He could see why Mia would like but it didn't make it anymore okay that she should just steal his friend. And why was Carver wearing one of those werewolf bracelets?

"Well what about your friends? What happened to the four of us trying out the new Hogsmeade together? You can't do that with that stupid Gina."

"Mia. And just let me have this, every one of us has had a girlfriend except me, you dated Chrissy for ages. We can just hang out next Hogsmeade trip. I really like her."

"It's not the same!"

"Carver, are you coming back?" Mia called and Carver looked back to her.

"In a minute!" Carver called before turning back to James, "Look, Jay-"

"Its fine, whatever," James snapped at him as he stepped back, "Have fun with your stupid Mia."

James stalked off angrily, dumping his things in his dormitory before heading out. If he had his Map then he could find his other friends, the ones who weren't stabbing him in the back but of course, that had been stolen. And his other friends better not be having dates too. He didn't really want to see his friends anymore anyway, he wanted to take his anger out on someone. Latimer chose that moment to walk by, the hideously ugly freak was looking unhappy and now walked with a limp apparently and who James hated, Gryffindor was the house of heroes not... not ugly weirdoes like Latimer.

"Hey Latimer! I knew from the reek that you were still here, unfortunately Elwood can't be bothered to throw out the trash," James taunted and Latimer threw him a look but said nothing, James whipped out his wand to hex him but Latimer saw and reacted faster. Before James could get his spell out, Latimer had gestured with his wand and James was suddenly on his ass, "Ouch, you son of a bitch!"

"Don't try curse people the year above you then, you moron," Latimer told him tiredly and continued walking while James scrambled to his feet, his face red with embarrassment. He hoped no one had seen. It was a fair point though, and why he never went beyond insults.

"Yeah well... Go to hell and die because everyone hates you, you worthless idiot!" James called after him and Latimer flipped him off without bothering to look back, James noted he was also wearing a werewolf bracelet.

What was up with that? Had Dragon-breath gone on a rampage and bitten them? A horrifying thought occurred to him, it wasn't because of him, was it? Dragon-breath hadn't freaked out and attacked Carver out of revenge because of his attack? Was that why Carver was abandoning him? Feeling suddenly terrible he turned to head back to Gryffindor Tower before hearing his cousin's laughter, he glanced back to see Molly holding hands with the Malfoy and laughing about something. It made sense actually, they and Latimer were all in Quidditch robes so presumably had just come from a practice. Typical Malfoy to steal his Seeker position while James was gone. And they were also wearing the bracelets.

"Hey!" James called out to them and they both stopped, Molly looking uncertain and Malfoy eying him darkly with his ugly gray eyes and stupid white-blond hair. How could Molly stand to hold hands with someone so evil? It was disgusting to look at. If it didn't burn her flesh then she was clearly not as much of a Weasley as everyone thought, then again she had the least favorite of his aunts and uncles for her parents so would did he expect? Malfoy wouldn't be happy until he'd turned everyone in his family against James, "What's up with those bracelets that people are wearing? Did Dragon-breath go psycho and bite a load of people?"

"No, we're just wearing them because it's a stupid law and we're trying to make a stand," Malfoy told him and James was surprised by Carver doing this, maybe it was the only way they'd let him on the team or something? "I guess you don't want one."

"Obviously no. And another thing, now I'm back I want back on the team."

"No, James," Molly insisted.

"But you know I'm good!"

"If you can go the rest of this term without getting suspended then I'll think about giving you a shot to come back on as Beater and Beater only, Scor's a great Seeker and Lily's a talented reserve who's been training for it. You're not being Seeker."

"That's not fair, you're just biased because he's your boyfriend," James protested and Molly just rolled her eyes.

"Goodbye, James," Molly sighed and continued walking with Malfoy, who eyed him warily and James gave him a murderous look back. And now he wouldn't even have Quidditch, why was the world against him? Now he really had to hit someone.

He stalked around idly and angrily, looking for a Slytherin before finding the perfect target. The First Year that Dragon-breath had been defending when he insulted him, stupid brat had fallen flat on his ugly face again. James hauled him to his feet, noticing the Slytherin was also wearing one of those bracelets. It was an epidemic, he left for a few weeks and everything went to chaos.

"Thank you," the Slytherin said, clearly not meaning it as his face went red from embarrassment, "I'm still getting used to these prosthetics, its awkward with two but I think I'm getting better slowly."

"I think different," James growled and the Slytherin looked at him for the first time in panic, James knew he'd been faking. He pulled the boy quickly into the nearest empty classroom he could see while the corridor was empty and whipped out his wand, "_Levicorpus!_"

"Please, leave me alone. I didn't do anything," the Slytherin lied as he was yanked up into the air by the ankles, James muttered another spell and the prosthetics detached to drop the Slytherin to the ground with his fake legs still floating.

"You're a Slytherin, you were born wrong. You evil scumbag," James spat darkly as the small boy scrambled to sit up awkwardly and drew his wand protectively. James wasn't afraid, Slytherins were cowards and the boy was no exception. He got what he deserved for defending that other Slytherin boy last time.

"P-P-Petrifcitus... erm... err... T-Totalmentis?" the Slytherin guessed wrongly and James smirked at the pitiful attempt, not dignifying it with a spell to disarm as he simply walked over and tore the wand from the boy's grip.

The Slytherin watched as James threw the wand with enough force to make it land on the opposite side of the room, he considered another spell but his fist reacted before he could be bothered to think of one. He hit the Slytherin once square in the jaw, that was for Molly not letting him on the team. He hit him again, that was for Carver abandoning him. He hit him a third time, that was for his dad not caring. Before James realized it, he was on top of the Slytherin and pummeling his rage out into the human-shaped thing. But Slytherins really weren't human, would you call Voldemort human? No. Slytherins were just future Shadows, Slytherins had killed his Uncle Charlie and his Aunt Fleur. And his Aunt Audrey but he didn't really like her as much.

James only stopped when his arms were tired and his anger was sated enough, his knuckles were sore and grazed from punching so much. The Slytherin was in worse shape but James didn't care, he was part the reason for his suspension and he was future evil incarnate. He had his arms raised to desperately try to protect his face like a coward, not that he'd succeeded because bruises were blooming and his nose was dribbling blood. James stood and the Slytherin shakily lowered his arms.

"Don't you dare tell anyone I'm the one who beat you up," James told him threateningly, not wanting to get in trouble, "Or I'll get my friends and we'll beat you up even worse, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Y-Yes," the Slytherin agreed fearfully, "I won't say it was you."

"Good."

"C-C-Can you put my legs down, please? I-I kind of need them. To walk... Or you know, my wand so I can get them myself."

James looked up at the prosthetic legs dangling upside down and then back to their Slytherin owner. Then he jerked his wand, sending them flying over to the other side of the room and to the opposite side to the Slytherin's wand. Then he left, locking the door behind him and walking away without a second thought.

* * *

_"Oh my poor babies, I can't believe you're all growing up!" Mavis cried as she threw her arms around Aubrey, stopping them from going for maybe the sixth time in a row. Audrey rolled her eyes, clearly wanting to just go already and Magnus actively put a hand to his face in exasperation. Roman just shook his head and resumed playing with his toy knights but remained close enough to listen as he lined them up to go to war as there were no lessons on weekends._

_"I know, Mommy, but you'll always be our Mommy," Aubrey told her emotionally as he hugged her back, "And Daddy will always be our Daddy."_

_"Assuming we do ever get to leave," Audrey commented quietly to Magnus, "I'll look out for notices for work still or help wanted signs or anything."_

_"That's my girl," Magnus complimented her with a hint of a smile before he hugged her surprisingly, "At least some of us have to be responsible. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes, Father," Audrey confirmed as they pulled apart, in contrast Mavis was still clinging to Aubrey. Magnus had managed to instill much more sense and practically into Audrey and Roman in Roman's opinion, money didn't grow on trees - although sometimes Roman thought Aubrey thought that - and making a living was important._

_"Oh and my baby girl," Mavis began and turned to hug Audrey as well, trying to hug both at the same time, "Going into the world all alone."_

_"Does Aub not count?" Audrey wondered and Roman snickered at the joke that went unnoticed by the others, except maybe Magnus but... well Roman didn't think he'd ever heard his father laugh._

_"Let them go now before all the shops are shut, dear," Magnus intervened finally and pulled the three apart gently, Audrey threw him a grateful look as they said their final goodbyes and left. Mavis waved from the doorway until they were presumably out of sight before turning back with a wide grin as her cheerful nature returned, her wand whipped out as she conjured a duster to dust as she walked._

_"Oh well, now I can get started on cleaning the bathroom before my bath," Mavis announced brightly as she flitted away again, she obsessively cleaned everything before and after use._

_Roman went back to playing his game, where King Romanus was leading the Romanites against the evil knight Voldus and his forces of darkness, the Life Drinkers since the hero Parry Hotter had failed in his quest to defeat Voldus. King Romanus gave an epic inspiring speech to the Romanites and they charged into battle but really the man battle would be between the king and the evil knight. Roman hoped he'd get a new evil knight for his birthday, the paint was starting to chip on Voldus and it made him much less threatening._

_"Roman," Magnus said and Roman's head jolted up immediately, having been too engrossed to realize his father was standing watching him, "Come with me now, I want to show you something."_

_"Okay," Roman agreed happily and scooped up his stuffed unicorn - Enas - to take with him but his father oddly, just led him to a blank stretch of white wall in the front room._

_Magnus offered his hand and Roman took it in confusion, his father pulled them both through the wall into a small closet-sized room. The walls were brown and looked like boards, there were plenty of shelves but only one had anything on it, some kind of puzzle box. Roman noticed that despite the wall being solid from the other side, there was a slight haze around the edges but he could clearly see back out into the front room with his soldiers still in the midst of battle._

_"What is this?" Roman asked curiously._

_"A special room, hidden by magic that will last long after my death. Only those who carry my blood my enter and no one can see the entrance from the other side so it's safe, you can see out though, you'll see everything," Magnus explained before taking a letter from his pocket and placing it neatly on top of the box, in his father's neat handwriting was written:_

**_Molly Mavis Weasley_**

**_2024_**

_"Who's that for?" Roman questioned in confusion, he didn't know anyone by that name._

_"Someone who doesn't exist yet," Magnus told him, "I can see the future, Roman, you know this. By this time next year, the Wizarding War will be over and either Voldemort or Harry Potter will be dead although I think the first choice is much more likely but if the second prevails than all this is pointless anyway. I will have four grandchildren, possibly more but there are only four I know for sure, two girls and two boys. The letter is for the only one of them to share my gift, it makes it easier for me to see her future. I won't live to see her though but you will, I need you to do something for me."_

_"I erm... what?"_

_"Tell her about this place and this letter I left for her when she comes of age, make sure she realizes that it cannot be opened until 2024. If it is, or if someone else reads it or if she dies before this date then it doesn't matter because the future I wrote it for will not come to pass, she alone will be able to understand it and only in 2024 or later. Remember this, Roman."_

_"Well it's a super long time away but okay," Roman agreed unsurely and Magnus smiled before taking out his wand._

_"That's my boy... I'm sorry," Magnus muttered as he flicked his wand at his son._

* * *

Calderon had decided that someone needed to invent a stronger word for hate because hate was not enough to describe his dislike for paperwork. And that was all that Elwood had decided he should do. He was frequently confined to a desk and dumped with the paperwork, he actually _invented_ his own paperwork for Calderon to do if Calderon managed to get through it with time to spare. He wasn't allowed to help out the other staff - unless in his free time - and he wasn't allowed to be in the Great Hall for meals, he wasn't supposed to interact with students at all - unless in his free time - and Elwood had forbade him from wandering around unless he walked in a correct manner. This meant no lights, music or walking oddly unless Elwood had told him to go somewhere. Calderon thought this was very unfair, he physically couldn't do that, he needed an outlet for his magic or things went boom but Elwood didn't understand that. Or actually, he probably did and just didn't care.

Calderon was unhappy. He missed working for Minerva - and Minerva in general - or working for Pippy - or Pippy in general - or even, he _even_ though he preferred his stint as Acting Headmaster. His inability to do anything made him feel trapped, which scared him. Which was an emotion, which meant lights were even more necessary. Which made it even more awkward. That Chastity Prinkett woman had also made him feel terrible from his counselling session, he cried himself to sleep that night. He hadn't had a chance to speak to Scor either, Scor probably hated him. Well everyone hated him really, they'd turn on him if they knew he was Voldemort's son.

Everyone would turn on him then. He knew this. And he knew it would happen to him, unless he died first anyway which was an even worse option. Sal wouldn't hide in the shadows forever, at some point she'd throw away the mask and proudly announce her heritage. And his. And his fragile attempt at a life would be shattered and everyone he cared about would hate him and want him to die. It didn't bother him so much anymore, he'd accepted it and while he was in no hurry for it to happen, he knew it would. Unless he or Sal died before it anyway which was even worse. It was just a matter of enjoying the time he had left. Which Elwood was making incredibly difficult. And so was Sal for that matter.

The brand on his chest still hurt sometimes, hurt with searing pain that he had no defense against. He could just breathe through the pain and wait for it to pass, he wasn't sure what exactly triggered it but there was that. It was especially painful one of the Saturdays in mid-October, Elwood had given him the day off because Harry Potter was set to bring his son back and he didn't want Calderon 'stealing his time' with the famous hero by being there. Calderon didn't mind, he was content to just lie there waiting for the burning to pass as the symbol writhed on his skin. He could close his eyes and still know exactly where it was from the pain alone.

"Calderon!" Elwood's voice barked with an accompanying hammering knock and in his surprise, Calderon both fell out of bed and sent explosions of light shooting out. He paused to watch them for a moment, so many pretty colors. He laughed, "Calderon! Whatever you're doing stop it! Mr Harry Potter is here and he wants to speak to you so hurry up, if I keep him waiting then I may lose face with the greatest hero of all time so get a move on, you nutjob."

"Coming," Calderon sighed as he clapped to stop the lights and hastily dressed, he found it much easier to not bump into things with his bigger room. That was nice. His brand was still burning though. He left the room to see Elwood impatiently waiting outside, tapping his foot in irritation, "Ready."

"That's what you're wearing in the presence of a hero?" Elwood complained before just shaking his head, "Fine, let's just go."

Calderon tried to keep his lights to a minimum as he marched up to the Headmaster's office with the Headmaster, nervous about his presence being requested by Harry Potter. He always felt strange around him, Harry was the man who'd killed his father after all. He forgave Harry of course, his father had been the instigator and the bad guy but it also didn't matter. It didn't matter how evil his father had been, how little he'd seen or cared for his children, he would never stop being Calderon's father any more than his mother would stop being his mother. He felt guilty for getting along with Harry because of this and also guilty that his father had killed Harry's parents, not that Harry knew of course.

There was also that Harry was hunting for his twin sister. Calderon had thought many times about telling on her, telling them everything before they murdered him for being Voldemort's son but he couldn't. Not for his own sake but for loyalty to Sal, no matter what she'd done she was still his sister. His twin sister, who'd been with him since before birth and who he'd spend every second with until leaving Azkaban. He'd never been as close to anyone as he'd been to her, how could he be when he everyone he was close to would turn on him if he revealed his true name? Nothing good he'd ever done would matter then, he couldn't possibly win. But he couldn't turn on her, it'd be giving her a death sentence, he might as well be killing his own flesh and blood twin sister, his family. Now that would be really evil. It wasn't Sal's fault anyway, he blamed the Shadows and he'd been the one to bind them to her so really it was his fault she was how she was. She didn't deserve to die because of him. It still made him feel guilty though, every death was because of him. He was evil either way. Damn.

"Ah Marius, good to see you," Harry greeted him with a smile that Calderon returned, it'd be nice to have an honest relationship with someone for once, "This shouldn't take long, I'll just talk to you out there alone if that's okay?"

"Sure," Calderon agreed while Elwood nodded his consent and waited in his office with star struck eyes as they stood outside without portraits to eavesdrop.

"Can you do that thing where no one can overhear?" Harry asked and Calderon nodded, throwing out his arms and casting the bubble of silence around them. Harry didn't mind his magic, "Okay, so firstly, is it still safe?"

"Yep. No one has entered the chamber, I'd have felt it so the Scepter's still safe. Is the other half?"

"Yes, still secure," Harry nodded before looking slightly nervous, "Good, good. The second thing is really what I wanted to talk to you about, I'm sorry to ask this of you, Marius, but I need a favor. I understand if you say no but if you agree then it'd be really helpful."

"What is it?" Calderon asked, tilting his head to one side curiously in time with curiosity triangles of light.

"Well we know, the Shadow Master is very adept at wandless magic like you are," Harry began and Calderon nodded, he knew this. He knew this a lot better than Harry realized but not the point, "Which means they'd be difficult to apprehend, usually you disarm someone and they're at your mercy but with you that wouldn't be the case because you have no wand to disarm. The Shadow Master might have a wand, we know he stole the wand in Dumbledore's tomb so he at least has access to one but it's also quite likely that he doesn't need one. That like you, arrest would be made impossible because we have no way to stop him tapping into his magic. Even if we could subdue him, he could - in all honesty - probably overpower us and escape upon waking.

"So, the Ministry has been trying to deal with this. We're working on a potion that represses magic, in theory giving it to someone would make them unable to tap into their magic with wand or otherwise. It would still be only temporary but theoretically if we just kept up dosing the Shadow Master then they would remain without their power, they'd be subdued. What I need from you, is to test it. It'd naturally be harder to subdue a more powerful wizard so really we need to test it on someone like you, if it'll work on you then it should work on him. It's not finished yet so you have time to think about it, as I said you can say no and I'd understand. It's not permanent for definite but there could still be other side effects and I don't think it would be a comfortable experience but I think it would really help if you could."

"I'll do it," Calderon agreed without hesitation, he may not want to kill his sister but he still wanted to stop her from hurting people. It worked both ways anyway, he'd rather they use something tested on her than something potentially dangerous. He was very nervous about how it would go but he still couldn't back away, he'd rather suffer through something and know than remain oblivious until it did something to Sal.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked him anxiously and Calderon nodded, Harry smiled, "I'll be in touch with details on it as it develops and you can change your mind at any time, it's alright... And thank you, Marius."

* * *

_Roman was so shocked he couldn't move and then he realized that he couldn't actually move, Magnus' spell had left him unable to move. Roman was just frozen there and Magnus left without another word, he tried to call out but his mouth refused to budge. All he could do was breath and shift the direction of his eyes slightly, he was facing outwards to see the front room where he realized his parents were now standing. Whatever Magnus was saying in a whisper was making her smile, Roman desperately tried to speak again but his lips were unmoving. He was starting to panic, why would his father do this? Was it a puzzle? Was he supposed to get out of it? How?!_

_Abruptly there was a sound like an explosion and the front door was torn off its hinges, three cloaked figures with terrifying masks walked in. Death Eaters. Mavis shrieked and aimed her want at the trio but they were faster, one lashed out with spell before she could react and she fell to the ground screaming, clutching at her now smoking arm as her wand fell forgotten. Magnus must've been too shocked to move. The one who'd cast the spell at Magnus laughed and tore off his mask, revealing a man in his early thirties with wavy black hair._

_"You're supposed to leave the mask on," one of the others growled at him._

_"Why? I like unhindered vision of my victims," the unmasked man complained as he lazily threw another spell at Mavis, this one making her writhe in pain and scream several pitches higher. Magnus moved as if to help her but the other two aimed their wands at him to give him pause, the expression on the unmasked man's face was sadistic before he finally let her go. Mavis curled up sobbing and begging not to do it again, "Are you the only ones here or are there some kiddies around?"_

_"Just us, they're not here," Magnus lied convincingly, Roman was suddenly afraid of which would be worse. If his siblings got home while the Death Eaters were here, of if they didn't._

_"Come out, come out, wherever you are little kiddies," the unmasked man called in the fake childish voice people used to speak to infants or animals, "We can all play a game, and it's a really fun game. It's called 'I torture you to death or your Daddy does what we want', doesn't that sound fun?"_

_"No, it doesn't," one of the other Death Eaters muttered._

_"Search the house, he could be lying."_

_"Bishop, I'm in charge of you not the other way around!"_

_"Well clearly you suck at it or I wouldn't be giving you commands," the unmasked man named Bishop pointed out indifferently with a shrug, "So do it. And you, Rivers, make this easier on yourself and just agree to do what old Voldie wants. If you can really see the future then you'll know what we're going to do to you and your woman here if you say no."_

_"I told you before. I'm not helping your master," Magnus told them, sounding surprisingly calm._

_"Don't call the Dark Lord 'old Voldie'," hissed the third Death Eater to Bishop as if Magnus hadn't spoken, "Do you want to die?!"_

_"Why, you scared of the big bad bald guy?" Bishop wondered with a smirk._

_"Yes! And so should you be!"_

_"Only fools live in fear. I have no regrets, if I say or do something that gets me killed then oh well, I had a good run. And someone search the damned house already."_

_"I told you, you're not in charge!" the first one snapped at Bishop who pouted childishly._

_"And I told you, you suck at being in charge or you would've had someone search the house already," Bishop pointed out slowly as if talking to a child still._

_"Stop doing that!"_

_"Stop doing what? Use your words, Grouse."_

_"I'm not Grouse! I'm Whitt!"_

_"And that's why wearing masks is stupid, how am I supposed to keep track of everyone? Also, you are extremely lacking in wit, Whitt."_

_"This isn't a game, Bishop!"_

_"If life's not a game then you're not playing it ri-"_

_"Wand!" the third Death Eater screeched, Magnus had taken advantage of the distraction of them arguing to draw his wand._

_"Avada Kedavra," Magnus spoke the unforgivable words and threw the curse at the trio._

_Whitt and the nameless one threw themselves out of the way but Bishop did something much cleverer and much more malicious. In one smooth motion, he jumped onto the couch and lashed out with his wand to levitate Mavis' body up as a shield. She didn't have time to scream but her eyes widened in terror as the curse struck her, Roman watched as the loving life in his mother's eyes died. Roman was suddenly glad he was frozen in place, if not he'd be screaming and crying but not even tears would roll down his eyes. He couldn't even close them to stop himself seeing Mavis' body hanging their limply, he wished it was a dream. An awful, awful dream and he just wanted to wake up now. He just wanted to wake up and have Mavis hug his fear away. The two masked Death Eaters threw disarming spells at Magnus, he didn't even try to fight it. Bishop laughed as he bobbed his wand, making Mavis' body move with it like a puppet._

_"Oh hey look at me, my husband killed me," Bishop said in a comically high-pitched voice to mimic Mavis, "But dying is fun so I'm going to dance now, look at me, hehehe. Oh husband whose name I forget, why did you kill me? Why couldn't you just do what this super handsome, super powerful, super clever Death Eater wanted you to do? And also, you're a terrible Seer to not see this coming. I hate you so much for killing me because living was fun, lots of hate, your wife. Because I forget my own name but I bet it was something stupid."_

_"Bishop," Whitt growled and Bishop flicked his wand, tossing Mavis' body aside as it was garbage._

_"It's torturing time," Bishop announced cheerfully in his usual voice._

_"Only if he still refuses to serve the Dark Lord."_

_"I refuse," Magnus affirmed as he closed his eyes._

_Roman had no choice but to watch as his father was tortured but it didn't matter, Magnus' refusal was unwavering. Roman wished he would give in. He just wanted it to stop, his eyes were burning. Did his father not realize he was screaming? Did the Death Eaters not realize they were hurting someone? Why couldn't they just go away? Hadn't they done enough damage? Bishop was the only one who kept his mask off, he looked increasingly bored with the lack of result before finally seeming to decide to end it._

_"Avada Kedavra," Bishop said casually as he flicked a jet of green light at Magnus, Whitt had been using the Cruciatus Curse on him but Magnus' screams ended with his life. Roman hated them. He was freed from his father's spell and fell mutely to his knees, too shocked to react beyond hugging his stuffed unicorn to his chest so tight and squeezing his searing eyes shut, "Ah, killing, it's better than sex."_

_"Bishop!" Whitt's voice barked._

_"What? It's not like he was ever going to agree and some of us were getting bored because it was taking too long, I'm kind of hungry."_

_"Let's just go, we're clearly done here," the third one sighed._

_"Aw, can we not search the house for more people to kill first?"_

_"Bishop!" Whitt yelled again and there was the sound of footsteps retreating._

_"So was that a no?" Bishop wondered, followed by Whitt's cursing as all sounds retreated._

_Only then did Roman work up the courage to open his eyes, still seeing his home with his parents' lifeless bodies. He forced his still joints to move and leave the safety of the secret room, still squeezing his unicorn for dear life as he moved around. Things had been knocked out of place during the struggle, a vase smashed and his toy knights scattered everywhere, some of the couch was scorched from fiery spells used in the torture. And there were his parents, lying lifelessly around him. Roman hugged his unicorn tighter, shaking from grief and fear as his knees buckled. The dam of tears finally bursting through as he cried, willing himself to wake up from this horrible nightmare and have Mavis' arms around him to comfort him. He was still crying when his siblings returned._


	20. IV: In The Breeze

_**Thanks to:** Faded Into The Dawn, Winged-panther1 and Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Am I crazy?_**  
_No, that has happened sometimes. Leebin is not a Shadow/possessed/forced to work for Shadows though_

**_Will Scorpius and Varnarian find out that Calderon's Voldemort's son in the this book? If not, which book?_**  
_Not this book, it was my intention that they gradually learn more each book after the first which is when you learn things instead and by the last you'll be in on the same page again. That being said, this is not the book they'll find out Calderon's identity but it is soon. Book 5._

**_Also, when will Varanian show up?_**  
_Soon, he tends not to be around while Scorpius is Hogwarts but there is bit with his POV coming up and he'll be back at Christmas break time too_

* * *

Scorpius was actually in a good mood following his counselling session, he still didn't trust Leebin and the guy could just be very dedicated to his manipulative sneakiness but Scorpius could live with it. Leebin was exceedingly better than the woman poor Latimer had been stuck with, almost likable if not for the circumstances. He was still getting requests from people he didn't know for bracelets as October pressed on, some people were even asking for them for their relatives outside of Hogwarts and the looks Michael got were diminishing. He even though the whole thing was bringing Maurice out of his shell a little more, happy to have thought of a good idea. Professor Ashain was acting completely normal, Scorpius was on top of his classwork, he and Molly were still going strong and Quidditch practices were going well even if Freddie was still being a bit weird.

Naturally things still weren't perfect, mid-October had marked James' unfortunate return but he wasn't on the team so Scorpius saw little of him. He still didn't know what to do about his parents but generally, he was still in a good mood. The notices for the times and dates of the second round of counselling sessions went up the end of the week that Scorpius had seen Leebin, the same format although they'd kindly given students old enough to go to Hogsmeade the day off. Scorpius also noticed that things had shifted, each year had had a specific counsellor last time but this time most had a different counsellor. Most but not all, a handful of each year had the same one again which was apparently by request of either counsellor or pupil. Scorpius was glad to still have Leebin, Michael also still had him but Abby, Albus and Rose didn't. Latimer was stuck with that awful woman again. Scorpius didn't have his next session until the day after the Hogsmeade trip which was the last day of times listed, his friends all had theirs sooner but Scorpius didn't mind the wait. Time was creeping by anyway, everyone was much more focused on the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade.

"Scor?" Albus said to him a week before it while they were in the Library, Abby was spending time with Corin, Maurice was helping Rose with Runes and Michael was off with Mirra for his tutoring, "Could you help me with something?"

"I thought you were good at Potions?" Scorpius wondered in confusion since that was what they were working on a long essay for Professor Vipera on antidotes.

"It's not about that."

"Oh well, wait until we're done with Potions before worrying about it."

"It's not about any class!" Albus protested in a hiss, his face coloring as he shifted nervously.

"Okay, what is it then?" Scorpius asked as he set aside his work for moment, Albus twitched uncomfortably.

"It's about Mirra," Albus began awkwardly, looking as if someone had splashed more red onto his face, "You know how I like her? And I know you guys don't think I'm serious about it, that's why I haven't said anything in front of Michael in case he tells Mirra so she thinks I'm a joke but I am serious. I want to ask her out to Hogsmeade."

"Um... Okay, good luck," Scorpius offer unsurely, not sure what it had to do with him.

"Yeah but that's the thing. I... I don't know how," Albus admitted, "Every time I even try to rehearse what to say in a mirror, I get all tongue-tied and nervous and sweaty and terrified she'll say no. I just... just wondered if you had any advice since y'know, you got Molly to go out with you and she's in Mirra's year so you're like the expert."

"I wouldn't consider myself an expert," Scorpius pointed out and felt himself going red, an expert was the last thing he considered himself when it came to relationships. He always felt clueless and unsure if he was doing the right thing or not, "Try your cousin Louis, he's great with girls."

"He's part-Veela, it's in his blood. Plus I already tried asking him and Freddie, Freddie just lectured me about being responsible and careful and encouraged me to not to date until I was older. I even tried asking James too and he just bit my head off because I thought you might say no since she's Molly's friend but please, I'm desperate."

"Hey," Orous greeted them as he and Vern sat down at the table with them, Albus scowled.

"Hello, we're in the middle of something. Go sit with Rose and Maurice."

"I need to sit somewhere with a line of sight of... of a certain person," Vern admitted nervously as he took out a sheet of paper, "C-Can I borrow your quill for a minute, Scor?"

"Sure," Scorpius agreed, not thinking he'd get anything done until he was through talking to Albus. Vern gratefully took it and started writing on the paper, going slowly as if trying to make his handwriting as neat as possible.

"Want to spy on your crush, eh?" Albus wondered, "Naughty Vern."

"Not spy, ask her out," Vern pointed out without stopping what he was doing.

"Silly Vern, asking a girl out isn't easy. Who is she again? And you may as well tell me this time since I'll see who you go to anyway."

"Olivia Nott."

"Well, I could point out that her brother is evil and her other brother is evil so she's going to be evil too but I'm not," Albus told him with a smile as he leaned back in the chair, "I'm just going to sit back and watch as she rejects you because that will prove to you infinitely better that she is evil."

"You're such a great cousin," Orous commented sarcastically.

"I know it."

"I'd rather try and fail then never try at all," Vern muttered, looking somewhere between petrified and determined as he put Scorpius' quill back and started folding, "Life's too short."

"So what's your plan anyway? Writing her a love letter? That's so old fashioned."

"Don't purebloods like old-fashioned?" Orous wondered curiously but Albus was much more interested in the bird-shaped paper that Vern placed upon the table, looking dumbfounded by the Origami.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Vern breathed nervously.

He took a tissue out of his pocket with an extraordinary amount of care, unfolding it to reveal it was just sheltering a single red rose that he rested onto the table in front of the bird. He gulped and took out his wand next, taking a final deep breath before muttering a spell as he waved his wand at the bird. It sprang to life, reaching forward its head to grasp the stem in its tiny paper beak. It looked rather undersized in comparison to the flower but when Vern raised his wand, the bird flapped its paper wings and flew easily with the flower. It dawned on Scorpius why he'd needed a line of sight of Olivia, he had to guide it with his wand from his seat as it fluttered across the room, zigzagging over moving people to reach its target.

Olivia was sitting with some girls who seemed her own age reading, one of them pointed out the bird and the girls watched as it dropped the flower before her. The bird then landed carefully beside the flower and became inanimate once more, Olivia looked at the bird curiously for a moment before taking it with extreme care to unfold. Vern gave out a strangled breath as if he'd been holding it, Scorpius looked back to him as he threw down his wand and appeared to be shaking from nerves.

"That is the weirdest way to ask someone out in the history of the world," Albus pointed out immediately, "There's no way she's going to go for that. Here comes the heartbreak. Literally."

"You're not helping," Scorpius complained while Vern started gnawing in his fingers nervously, bowing his head fearfully which made his stringy brown hair fall over his eyes.

"She's coming back," Albus whispered and jerked his head in her direction in time for them to see Olivia approaching, holding both the rose and the folded paper that had been a bird a minute ago to her chest. Scorpius noticed she was wearing one of the werewolf bracelets.

"H-Hey Olivia," Vern stuttered out nervously, "N-Need something?"

"Yes," Olivia blurted out quickly.

"Really?" Vern wondered in shock.

"Of course!" Olivia agreed before blushing and shifting her dark hair behind her ear nervously as she tried not to smile, "I mean... yeah, I'd... I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you."

"Great!" Vern exclaimed happily before blushing and brushing back his hair out of his eyes, struggling not to smile, "I mean... that's... that's cool. I'll see you next Saturday. And in classes before then I guess."

"See you, Vern," Olivia nodded and smiled as she went back to her own table, Vern finally letting his face split with a smile.

"She said yes! Did you hear that?! Did I pass out on the floor? Is this a dream? This has to be a dream! She said yes!"

"Yeah, yeah, we all heard," Albus grumbled as he buried his head in his hands, "How am I supposed to compete with paper birds carrying flowers?"

"Did you want to ask someone out?"

"No, I wanted to die alone!"

"I can teach you the bird trick if you like," Vern offered kindly, practically glowing.

"That's not going to work now it's not original," Albus moaned.

"Well we should get going, we have Quidditch practice soon," Orous pointed out and Scorpius held a hand up in farewell as the two left.

"Did you still want some advice?" Scorpius wondered.

"No," Albus sighed, "Why is Vern better than me at everything? You're not going to beat paper birds carrying flowers."

"You don't need to, the odds are no one's done that to Mirra."

"I guess but now anything I do will feel inferior. Let's just finish our Potions homework, leave Mirra for tomorrow."

* * *

Since his close call with Scorpius, Michael had had to change his approach to using the stone. He didn't want to use it any less, in fact he used it more because he felt guilty depriving Nick of life. But what he did do was take precaution in making sure he was alone when he spoke to Nick, Nick could talk away but Michael just refrained from saying anything until he was alone or in Transfiguration. This wasn't perfect still but it worked out better, Nick got to be around more and Michael just had to wait until they were alone to reply to comments. It was a bit annoying but it was worth it, better than Nick being dead.

"You know what you should try?" Nick asked him excitedly as soon as Michael was done turning over the stone in his dormitory on Saturday morning, his friends had headed to the Library to study or in Abby's case for some alone time with her boyfriend but Michael was meeting Mirra slightly later so he'd returned to the dormitory for a bit.

"I told you, I'm not going to Hogsmeade," Michael insisted.

"It's not about that," Nick brushed it off eagerly, "I was thinking that we should use that stone for something cool."

"You mean besides raising you from the dead?"

"Yes. See who else you can bring back, test its limitations! Can you bring back just people you know? Just people who've died recently? Can you bring back more than one person at once? Don't get me wrong, I like existing like this but it's the nature of a Slytherin to be more ambitious. Imagine what kind of awesome magic you could learn if you could bring famous badass wizards like Dumbledore or the knowledge you could glean or dead Quidditch players to teach you their moves, I'm dead so I could learn nothing but I still think it'd be cool to meet them. You should at least try seeing what else that thing is capable of."

"I don't know, wouldn't that be kind of an awkward conversation?" Michael queried as he imagined summoning these famous people who'd done incredible things to speak to a teenage werewolf.

"They're dead. I think they'd probably be interested in talking to their only connection to the living world, I mean, it has to beat being dead."

"I'll think about it, right now I have to go study with Mirra."

"Are you gonna ask her out yet?" Nick asked with a smirk as Michael collected his things, really not sure what the point was trying now that he was a werewolf with no future.

"I'm not asking Mirra out."

"Well you won't ask out Rose."

"Because I already did and she rejected me so I know she's not interested in me, if I ask her out again she'll just reject me again because she made her position very clear. Or she'll say yes out of guilt, I don't want someone to date me out of guilt and pity," Michael explained, not for the first time, "There's no chance of anything between us. And she's better off, she deserves someone who she actually likes for real, not a worthless werewolf who tried to kill her."

"You're too hard on yourself. And also, that's why you should ask out Mirra. You never attacked her so you have no guilt, she has no issues with you and I think it'd be good for you to relax for a change."

"I disagree, I think I'm much better off alone," Michael pointed out as he headed downstairs, keeping the stone in his hand in his pocket to keep Nick around.

"Hey Michael," Roxy greeted him as he came into the Common Room, smiling somewhat nervously while Nick was distracted by Lily and Lysander talking nearby.

Roxy had started talking to him a lot more this year on the way back from Quidditch practices this year whereas before he'd tended to walk back with Latimer, it was annoying because it meant he couldn't speak to Nick which was the whole reason he'd stopped walking with Latimer in the first place. Not that she'd know that, he supposed she was just trying to be friendly when she saw him walking back alone which was really nice of her but still. She should try Latimer, he could use friendship more since Michael had Nick.

"Hey Roxy, what's up?"

"Well I... I was just wondering whether you had any plans for Hogsmeade? If you're allowed to go at all."

"I'm just going to stay in Hogwarts," Michael told her, wondering why everyone assumed he'd want to go back to that awful place where he'd became a werewolf.

If he did go then it might be closer to Christmas for presents only but he was hoping he wouldn't have to, that Jack would take him shopping over the break. Assuming Jack ever replied. Michael was still looking forward to it, he couldn't wait to see Annie again although he was afraid what she'd think of him. That reminded him, he still needed to try find out information about magical people not being told of their magic because he was sure that Annie was a witch. He was afraid of how she'd react to that too.

"Y-You know I wouldn't mind staying back with you, you shouldn't have to be alone while everyone else is having fun," Roxy asked in a voice barely above a whisper as she looked at him with an odd expression.

"Thanks but don't worry about it, I have friends staying so I'll be alright," Michael offered with a smile of gratitude at her kindness even if it wasn't necessary, "Just go and have a good time, I'm sure the place looks nice all repaired."

"Yeah," Roxy muttered and gave him a strange smile, she looked almost... disappointed? Maybe he wasn't the only one with qualms about going back there and had been looking for a way out. That had to be it.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, there'll be extra protection against attacks and it's not even a full moon," Michael told her consolingly and she looked up to meet his eyes, "Don't worry about it."

"I... I'll try," Roxy said with a weak smile, "I'll see you, Michael."

"See you."

Michael headed off again with Nick, who recounted what the two had been talking about with Lily apparently trying to encourage Lysander to reach out to Lorcan but he refused. Nick lamented and worried that the twins were no longer close, Michael thought it was sad too but there wasn't anything he could do. He barely knew Lysander whereas he had a decent relationship with Lorcan, Lysander was the one who needed to change his attitude though. Michael tried to put it out of his mind as he reached the agreed upon unused classroom where Mirra was already waiting, he preferred being away from glaring eyes. Although Scorpius and Maurice's bracelet idea was working surprisingly well at diminishing it all, he'd wanted the less public areas before that though. He was lucky to have friends who'd do that, not that he understood why after he'd tried to kill Scorpius and given him that scar on his jaw. He didn't deserve good friends.

"So what have we got to today?" Mirra asked him with a cheerful smile as he sat down with her.

"Why such a good mood for schoolwork?" Michael wondered jokingly as he got out the books he'd need for the subjects.

"Because Sixth Year stuff is hard, doing this makes me feel clever," Mirra pointed out and Michael smiled at her joke, "So what are we doing today?"

"Super long Potions essay that I want to get ahead for, it's a week and a bit until the full moon so I want to try get ahead. Not that I'll succeed."

"Well we can do our best."

"Need to read some stuff first, antidotes," Michael informed her, finding the page he wanted and opening it for her to read to him.

It did feel stupid being read to by her at first but it was faster, it took him longer to read with his Dyslexia even though he could do it and Mirra had admitted to preferring it to waiting in boredom while he read. She did only do it for the longer sections and if it was whole chapters he needed to read through then he would do so beforehand, once the main chunky paragraphs she mostly wrote what he told her to write. Literally writing word for word what he would write himself, if he needed to check things or read smaller segments then he'd do that then as well since it took longer to write then it did to speak. Nick would help too, with the subjects he liked anyway and often proudly offered useful things he remembered or talking about when he'd been learning about it in his Fourth Year. Or sometimes would just talk about things that had nothing to do with it.

"C'mon, just ask her to date you, it's easy," Nick continued to plead while Michael attempted to listen to her read, he'd go quiet for a while when Michael mimed letting go of the stone with his free hand but went back to it after a few minutes, "Okay, how about this? Kiss her."

"_What?_" Michael couldn't help but uttering in surprise, Mirra looked up at him in surprise.

"Bezoars, you know?" Mirra offered and he realized she thought he'd meant about the sentence.

"Yeah from stomach of goats, sorry my mind just blanked for a moment there. It's okay, sorry, carry on," Michael told her apologetically.

"Happens to us all at some point," Mirra pointed out before going back to reading.

"I'm serious," Nick insisted, "Just kiss her. She'll either respond well and you'll have to ask her out then. Or she'll respond badly, then you get out of having to do homework so its win-win for you."

Michael shook his head as subtly as he could to not alert Mirra.

"How about this? You kiss her and no matter what happens, I will shut up about you asking her out. I'll even shut up about you dating at all until after Christmas as a bonus. C'mon, you know I'm too much of a talker to just about this otherwise. Your heads are so close, it'd be easy. Just put your lips against hers."

Michael looked at Mirra, they were sitting so close together that he could smell her perfume. He felt his heartbeat quicken uncomfortably, he'd never noticed how long her eyelashes were or how milky her skin looked up close, how soft her lips looked. They did get along with her and it would shut Nick up either way, she was a kind enough person to probably not be so cruel if she didn't like him. It wouldn't work anyway, she'd just push him away or move away if he tried to kiss her and she didn't want to. He kind of hoped she wouldn't though.

He could just lie about having been falling asleep or something, that he didn't try to do it on purpose. Mirra finished the segment and looked at him, just as he leaned in to bite the bullet and their lips locked together. He heard Nick cheer. His mind tried to flood him with a happy sensation but he pulled away too quickly to enjoy it, blushing furiously and fearful that he'd just ruined their friendship.

"I-I-So-Sor-I didn't mean-Sorry-I am-Sorry," Michael managed to stammer out in embarrassment at one stupid moment of weakness on his mind's part, his cheeks burning.

"Don't be," Mirra offered.

He looked back to her, surprise shooting through his embarrassment for a moment. She was blushing but smiling, twirling her hair with one hand. He cautiously returned the smile and she leaned in for another kiss, that time he let their lips linger. That time he allowed the giddy, euphoric sensation to flood through him and erase his worries for his mind for a few miraculous minutes, feeling very much like a normal human being for the first time in months. He slipped the stone in his pocket, not really wanting Nick to hang around to watch him snog someone. It felt like the most natural thing in the world and he was still smiling when they pulled apart.

* * *

_Roman found his life changed in more than just not having his parents anymore, none of them felt comfortable nor wanted to stay in that house so they left and rented an apartment in London. They were alright financially as they had their family's money, it wasn't a vast amount of wealth but it would get them by for the moment. Audrey thought it might help her chances of getting a job at the Ministry if they lived in London rather than the countryside, Roman hated London though. It always seemed dark and gloomy, even though it was still summer. Even though they lived in a complex for magical folk, it was on a muggle street and the loud sounds from the ugly metal machines that patrolled the streets scared him. He'd never seen vehicles before after all, his life was that sheltered and he felt as if now it had all been torn apart._

_He hated his parents' funeral, it was on his tenth birthday and would destroy the occasion for him for the rest of his life. Very few people had shown up, not many of Mavis' family or friends could make it - or wanted to risk it with the war - for the funeral, despite it being on his birthday at the specific request to fit in with some of their schedules. Even less had come for Magnus, just some acquaintances from work who claimed to have respected him even if they found it 'near-impossible' to get to know him better, more would've came but they'd been killed already. Watching their ashes being scattered to the wind was a very painful moment, he didn't want them to be gone. He ran after the ashes, running with the wind and grasping at the air despite knowing it was irrational and hopeless but it felt wrong to just watch them leave his life all over again. He'd only stopped when he'd broken down crying too much to carry on, Audrey had found him to take him home. His siblings had done better at the funeral than he had, Audrey had managed to get a job interview for a Ministry position from one of Magnus' Ministry acquaintances, which would pay off as she got the job. Aubrey had made friends with one of his mother's friends, stayed at the hotel with her that night._

_It was strange living with only his siblings, their parents had done all basic things like cooking and cleaning. Audrey and Aubrey were both terrible cooks as it turned out, Audrey had invested in a recipe book but the meals still ranged from tasting like vomit to being hard as rock. They were better at cleaning but the apartment lacked the standards that Roman was used to, he didn't like dirt or mess because it reminded me of their deaths. Everything was alright when it had been neat and clean but a mess when bad things were happening. He took it as a bad sign. He'd never seen Aubrey so quiet, he'd taken over teaching Roman since Audrey had a job now but when not teaching, he just seemed quiet. Roman actually missed him talking, he'd lie for long periods of time just lying on his bed and cuddling Enas his stuffed unicorn in sad silence, like it was the gaping void in his life where his parents had been. Relieving the pain of loss and feeling utterly alone. Sometimes he cried, Aubrey or Audrey would always come to comfort him even if they could do nothing more than hug him._

_At least he had them. Sticking together is what family should do, what their parents would want. Despite his utter unhappiness with his life, Roman clung to the thought that they'd get through it together and maybe someday the pain would stop. He should've paid more attention to Aubrey's odd behavior because one drizzling day in the autumn, he wandered out from his room for breakfast to see just Audrey sitting there at the table. Both hands were pressed against her head, one of which had a scrunched up piece of paper sticking out._

_"Where's... Where's Aubrey?" Roman asked fearfully and quietly, Audrey sighed and let the paper fall from her fingers as she lowered her hands._

_"He left, Roman," Audrey answered in a morbid tone, "He left to go to America with every last Knut we had because he's scared of being killed by Death Eaters. He left us."_

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Happy New Year everyone! It's actually a very important date because its actually when I started planning/writing this series and this is the very last chapter of 2013, not more until next yeat which is tomorrow haha. What have been your favorite characters/moments/books/anything this year? Or your least favorite? What do you hope to see/who do you want to see more of next year? Of course you don't have to answer, I'm just curious about people's thoughts going into next year because I love to know what you reader's think, I started writing this for me but I started uploading this on the internet for you. I'd like to thank JK Rowling even though she'll never read this for creating such a wonderful magical world and people for me to play with but most importantly to you. I __want to say thank you to everyone who's reading this right now, reviewers, favoriters, followers and people who just read this series whenever, it is really rewarding to know people read and pay attention to what I write, plots and characters that otherwise would only have existed in my head. Thank you everyone and have a fantastic New Year, you're all awesome  
_


	21. IV: Plans and Ills

_"Okay, Roman," Audrey said seriously as she was preparing to go to work but turned to face him, Roman was holding onto Enas his stuffed unicorn and following her so closely that he'd literally been on her heels, "I have to go to work now and well... there's no one to watch you or teach you now so you're just going to be here by yourself."_

_"No!" Roman exclaimed in panic, terrified of being left alone... The only time he'd been alone had been after his after his parents had died, he was used to their always being someone around at home even if they weren't all in the same place._

_"Yes. You're ten years old now, old enough to be alone for a little while."_

_"All day isn't a little while. Don't go, Aud, don't leave me all alone here," Roman pleaded and tried to throw his arms around her but she pushed him away._

_"I said no, work is more important. We have literally no money, work is more important than ever."_

_"What am I supposed to do trapped here all day?"_

_"Play, read, draw pictures, just whatever you want that isn't you know... obviously stupid and dangerous," Audrey told him dismissively, "There's Floo powder if you desperately need it and there's water here, food in the cupboards if you get hungry. Okay?"_

_"No. Please don't go," Roman tearfully but Audrey's stoic expression didn't waver._

_"I'll see you later."_

_On that note, Audrey turned on her heel and walked out without another word. Roman was crying before the door closed, his sister either didn't notice or care because she left regardless. He cuddled Enas ever closer and stared at the blurring brown door from his tears, wondering if Audrey was even going to bother coming back. He started to panic, what if she really didn't come back? What if she decided to run off like Aubrey?_

_He started to breath faster in his panic and the, he couldn't breathe at all. He felt like he was being smothered or choked, he couldn't... he couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? Was he dying? He could feel the sweat dribbling down his forehead, he was hot, and his heart was pounding so loudly as if trying to escape out of his chest. Maybe it was trying to leave him too. He felt sick, he was shaking and he still couldn't breathe. He was going to die, he was going to die all alone. He already felt faint, his unsteady legs gave out and he fell to the ground. Fighting to try to breathe in this gloomy horrible place he hated._

_At least maybe he wouldn't be alone with his parents being dead too, he relaxed slightly at that thought and his lungs managed to gulp down a breath of precious air. Calm, he could breathe if he was calm? He took deep breaths and tried to not panic, he just needed to breathe and it'd be okay. In and out. Just gentle breathing. Breathing was nice, breathing was your friend. Gradually the sensations receded and he was just lying there with his stuffed unicorn Enas beside him, he cuddled it close but the strange attack seemed to be over. He felt himself tearing up again, he could've just died and no one was even there to help him. He hated being alone._

_"Do you remember? When there used to be sunshine? When we used to live in a nice, calm, clean place? When I wasn't alone? When I used to have siblings that didn't walk away? When I used to have parents that were alive? When I used to be happy? I miss that," Roman whispered in the gloom and wiped his eyes, instead looking into Enas' button eyes, "At least you'll never leave me, right Enas?"_

_Enas said nothing._

* * *

"So only a few days left to Hogsmeade," Rose brought up on Wednesday at dinner, twirling her hair and glancing at Michael, "Decided what you're going to do yet, Michael?"

"I'm not going, I told you people before," Michael insisted without looking up from his food, "I don't want to go back there."

"But it'll be fun, you'd like it when its calm and it will be because there's more protection," Rose protested but Michael stubbornly shook his head, Scorpius might've been on her side for trying to convince him but he still wasn't sure what he was going to do about his parents yet. Plus he wasn't sure if pushing Michael into going was a good idea if he didn't want to.

"No. I'm staying. And I have to go now, study with Mirra," Michael told them as he pushed aside his empty plate and stood, "I'll see you later."

"Well at least his taking an interest in his schoolwork again is a good thing even if it is a strange time to study," Rose sighed after he'd left, "How am I supposed to get him to go to Hogsmeade with me if he keeps being so oblivious?"

"Stop being so subtle?" Albus guessed before looking nervous, "And now I only have two days to ask out Mirra."

"You need to just bite the bullet and do it before someone else asks her," Corin offered and Albus scowled.

"Shut up, Corin," Albus grumbled.

Hogsmeade was on everyone's minds though, the general mood around the castle - amongst the older students anyway - was a positive one. The new, improved, safer and rebuilt Hogsmeade was something that was being hyped up, anonymous donors had given money to a fund to rebuild because it had been pretty much destroyed in the werewolf attack.

"It's great," Maurice told them brightly in the Library the next day, except Vern who was at his counselling session and Michael who was studying with Mirra, "Perfect chance for the werewolf bracelets to spread outside of Hogwarts."

"Yeah that's great but I'm trying to get mentally prepared to ask Mirra out so hush," Albus pointed out.

"Mirra's not even here."

"Yeah but Michael be back to meet us to walk down to dinner with us with Mirra so I have until then to prepare what I'm going to say. And that's soon so don't break my concentration."

"You're an idiot."

"Can I sit with you all, please? There's no empty tables left," a small voice asked nervously and they glanced up to see Antonius Ashain with the dog that he was sure used to be Calderon's with him.

"Sure," Scorpius agreed, seeing no reason not to and Orous pulled up a chair for the boy beside him.

"Thanks," Antonius offered gratefully as he sat with a book on Greek Mythology, his dog plopped itself down beside him and Antonius petted it affectionately.

"Why didn't you just take that book and go back to your room or something?" Rose complained.

"The Librarian won't let me take anything out without my Dad since only staff or students can take books out and I'm neither. He was still doing classes when I left though, we can do whatever when we finish our schoolwork. Cassia always stays though, she likes watching his lessons."

"Don't you think Greek Mythology is a bit advanced for you?"

"No, I like reading. Cassia asked Dad why on the posters, Brutus has such a weird middle name and he said it was the name of a Greek God and Ashain's almost always have middle names after Greek Gods or Titans. So I thought it would be cool to see what the Gods do."

"Why middle names of Gods?" Abby wondered.

"Because first names would seem too pretentious," Antonius shrugged as he opened the book, "Not that second names are much better."

"Pretentious?" Albus repeated in confusion.

"It means-"

"I know what it means!" Albus interrupted but a moment later whispered to Rose, "What does it mean? I don't want to be outsmarted by an eight year old again."

"Go back to worrying about asking Mirra to Hogsmeade," Rose told him with a scowl as she carried on with her work.

"You're doing it wrong," Maurice interrupted and moved Rose's hand away from the page, earning him a murderous look, "You're getting Ehwaz and Eihwaz mixed up, Eihwaz means defense not Ehwaz. It's an easy mistake to make, I always remember it as Eihwaz for defense because there's more letters to defend."

"That's a childish way to remember it," Rose snapped irritably and annoyed at having a flaw pointed out.

"I was a child when I learned it."

"Oh. Well... Thank you," Rose told him begrudgingly and Maurice gave a genuine smile for once.

"No problem, I like teaching people things."

"Hey," Michael greeted them as he joined the table, Albus sat up straighter so suddenly that it looked like it hurt as Mirra was also there except walking over to some Hufflepuff girls who looked her age.

"Did you get the Runes done?" Rose asked immediately, "Because it's really easy to get Eihwaz and Ehwaz mixed up."

"Err... Yeah. And I know, I remember it like Eihwaz is defense because there's more letters so more to defend."

"Well bully for everyone who's not Rose."

"What?"

"Nothing, ignore her," Corin brushed it off.

"Okay, okay, do I look nervous?" Albus inquired nervously, now shaking with his face now looking drained of color and sweat quite visibly dribbling down his brow.

"Yes," Michael, Maurice and Antonius said in oblivious unison, Michael added, "Why?"

"Because I'm in love and I'm going to ask her to come to Hogsmeade with me," Albus announced with bravery that his face failed to convey.

"Midas isn't here."

"I'm so over her! She ruined the chance of being with me, the great and powerful, clever and very, _very_ handsome son of Harry James Potter by being such an evil prejudiced bitch."

"Al, don't swear in front of the child!" Abby protested to which Antonius looked slightly offended.

"Then who are you asking out?" Michael wondered in confusion.

"You should just not to it, you can have fun at Hogsmeade without being with a dating like Dad's taking us," Antonius pointed out, "And then you won't have to do icky kissing."

"Antonius, you are brilliant," Maurice told the boy happily, "Never get older. Keep that attitude and you'll make a fine soldier, you're a survivor not a sucker for the deathtrap they call dating."

"Stop indoctrinating the kid," Rose complained, "No one's a soldier."

"Everyone old enough to walk is old enough to be a soldier. Everyone within these walls is a soldier, boys and girls, students and staff, even Ashain's little kids will have to fight in this Shadow War."

"Hey! Stop veering off topic, we're talking about me and Mirra here," Albus interrupted in frustration.

"You and Mirra?" Michael repeated in confusion as Albus attempted to smooth down his hair, it just made it stick up even more.

"My one true soul mate. Wish me luck," Albus announced grandly and started to head over to her, Michael jumped up in panic and grabbed his arm, "What? Please, my heart's going to die of nerves if I don't move now."

"Mirra's... Sh-She's kind of... seeing someone," Michael pointed out awkwardly and ran his hand through his hair nervously as Albus' face fell.

"She... She is? Since when?"

"Just this week, it's kind of new."

"Well who?!" Albus demanded angrily as he pushed up his sleeves, his face flushing red from either anger or embarrassment, "Who is this guy who stole my girl?! I need to punch him in the face!"

"What is with Potter boys and punching people?" Vern complained.

"He erm... He... He's me, I'm with Mirra," Michael admitted reluctantly, much to everyone's - except Maurice and Antonius who neither cared were listening - surprise. Albus looked like he'd been slapped in the face again while Michael ran his hand through his hair again, fidgeting in a very Jack-like way, "You can... You can punch me in the face if it'd make you feel any better."

"No thanks," Albus mumbled miserably as he pushed his fists into his pockets, "Don't feel like it now."

"I'm sorry... I had no idea you liked her, you never said."

"Neither did you," Rose complained.

"It just sort of happened, I didn't plan on us getting together," Michael protested defensively as people started heading down to dinner, "That's why I didn't want to say anything until we were together longer in case it failed. Plus I don't know what people will think about her dating a werewolf."

"It's fine," Albus offered with a very obviously forced smile as he too started off, "I'm happy for you."

They packed up their stuff to go as well, Antonius being forced to go put his book back. Michael had nothing to pack up since he'd done his work with Mirra so he could just go, Scorpius could've sworn he saw Michael look at empty air and mouth 'I blame you.' Albus had apparently forgotten all of his things so Scorpius and Orous wound up packing it up as well as they waved the others to go on without them. Scorpius was surprised about Michael, he'd thought Michael would've told him. Was he doing something wrong? He tried to help Michael but he seemed further away from him. He was so focused on that for a moment that it occurred to him that Orous seemed unusually quiet.

"Something wrong?" Scorpius asked and Orous blinked in surprise, turning his crimson to him with a half-hearted shrug.

"Just my counselling session was kind of upsetting," Orous offered, speaking quietly again, "She actually asked me about being one of them, of being Stockholm syndromed into wanting to be a Soul Eater. What those muggles did to us is unforgivable, the Shadows setting us up for that is equally unforgivable and all the other stuff they did too. How could she possibly accuse me of wanting to be one of those monsters? I hate everything they stand for and do and I want them gone."

"Let me guess, you got Chastity Prinkett?"

"Yeah."

"That's who Latimer got, she was cruel to him too. Don't let her get to you."

"Too late. You're lucky to get Leebin, he's really great."

"Wait, how would you know that? He had my year last time and apparently not yours this time," Scorpius asked in confusion.

"Oh, he's the counsellor my Dad took me too after my First Year. He really helped," Orous explained.

"I thought he usually deals with Aurors?"

"He does, that's why I was allowed to talk to him because he's up to speed on everything with the Shadows - he has to be in case the Aurors mention things - whereas they haven't released things like the Shadow Master's wandless magic or the tearing the magic out of people's souls or that they were behind what happened to us five to the public. He said it was double classified so I was definitely alright to confide in him," Orous told him with a weak smile.

"Why don't you ask to have him for the rest of these sessions? He said you can request someone if you want."

"My counsellors didn't mention that."

"Well Leebin did, ask him after dinner or something," Scorpius offered and Orous nodded.

Scorpius supposed it gave Leebin some credibility, he still thought the idea of counselling was stupid though. And he didn't need help anyway, he was over the things had happened to him. Some things in the past were bad but he'd gotten through them and over them, it was still bad but he was completely fine, he was strong now. And basically normal, aside from being bound to the Shadow Master. He was more worried about his friends, Albus was definitely sullen but on the bright side, Michael was trying so hard to cheer him up that he seemed his usual self again. Scorpius realized he missed that. And why had Michael mouthed to the air? Had it been a once off or was he still talking to himself? Why did Scorpius always fail at helping his friends?

"So what's the plan for Hogsmeade?" Molly asked him on his way to breakfast the next day, both her and Latimer joining him on the walk down to the Great Hall. Albus was being lazy and slow in getting up, Michael was gone already before he woke up so he headed down alone.

"The plan..." Scorpius mused but had nothing really, his parents were determined to ruin his visit.

"Yeah, with your parents coming and everything. Are you going to be tied up the entire time or just like an hour lunch visit?"

"They want to meet me at the Three Broomsticks first thing then stay with me until I head back to Hogwarts, I don't know how to get rid of them without them realizing it and probably banning me as punishment," Scorpius explained with a hopeless sigh as they reached the table and sat down, joining Maurice, Rose, Abby and Corin who were already there, "I tried my best. Al's getting here slowly, don't know where Michael is."

"Probably having a quick snog," Rose commented acidly, "Can we talk about how we're going to break them up?"

"No!" Scorpius protested and Rose pouted, "Firstly that is a horrible thing to do and it might be good for Michael, and second we were already trying to get rid of my parents in Hogsmeade."

"Just do what I did," Corin shrugged dismissively, "Douse their drinks with Laxative Potion."

"You did what?!" Abby burst out in horror and Corin blinked in confusion, Scorpius oddly found that he wasn't surprised.

"Funny story," Corin laughed nervously, "Albus was kind of right, I did put just a bit of Laxative Potion in his and my Father's drinks so we could have time alone."

"That's just awful," Abby protested looking on the verge of tears, "Why would you do that to your own father and a friend?!"

"To be alone with you. It's not like it was a lot, they were fine in a few hours," Corin protested, looking suddenly very much like a desperate child as he reached out to Abby but she pushed him away.

"Al's right, you're so manipulative and just... nasty!" Abby told him accusingly.

"Some of us are trying to enjoy our breakfast," Maurice complained irritably, "Either shut up or take it outside."

"Okay, we'll shut up," Corin said, clearly regretting mentioning it at all but Abby wasn't going to forget it that easily.

"We'll take it outside, come on," Abby announced darkly as she stood and the pair left, almost bumping into Albus as he arrived.

"What's up with them? Lover's spat?" Albus grumbled as he sat, eying the undefended plates of food before taking Corin's, "Not like he's eating it and its getting cold."

"You were right," Rose offered.

"Yes! I knew it!" Albus exclaimed happily as he fist bumped the air before looking confused, "Wait, what am I being right about?"

"Corin did give you and Hagrid Laxative Potion that one time."

"Yes! I knew it! Didn't I tell you?! Didn't I?!" Albus told them excitedly, actually bouncing up and down on the seat, "High-five anyone?"

"No, we're trying to think of how to get rid of Scor's parents in Hogsmeade. Presumably without poisoning them with Laxative Potions?"

"Yeah," Scorpius confirmed, he wasn't doing that to his parents even if his mother wasn't pregnant with his soon-to-be dead sister. If they found out they'd ban him from visiting.

"For the love of..." Latimer complained with a roll of his eyes, "Isn't it obvious? Just sit with them for a bit then tell them you're heading back because you have too much homework, throw the cloak over yourself as soon as you're out of their sight then just wait for them to go. Voila, the rest of your time is yours."

"That's pretty good actually."

"It's pretty obvious really."

"That's great," Molly agreed with Scorpius, "You can meet me in the Hog's Head after."

"Yeah, Hogsmeade is back on," Scorpius added happily and offered a high-five to Molly that she took with a smile before wondering if it was weird to do it with your girlfriend.

"Well that's great for you but can we get to back to Michael and Mirra?" Rose insisted, "They're all wrong for each other. And Al should get Mirra."

"It's really none of our business, you should be happy for Michael."

"I don't want Mirra anymore, it'd be weird since she already dated Michael," Albus pointed out unhappily and added quieter, "It sucks but that's how it is... Not like she'd of said yes anyway, I'm a loser. Maybe it'll be good for Michael at least."

"What does he see in her anyway?" Rose complained, annoyed that no one was taking her side or even paying much attention as they ate.

"Maybe he likes blondes?" Albus guessed through a mouthful of food and Rose looked thoughtful.

"I know, I just need to make him jealous by fake-dating someone else."

"Merlin's ass crack, you're as bad as Corin! Let it go."

"No, I think it's a good plan. Maurice," Rose said brightly with a smile and the deaf boy raised an eyebrow, "How'd you like to go out with me in Hogsmeade?"

"No," Maurice told her deadpan.

"C'mon, it's not even a real date."

"No."

"It's just to make Michael jealous."

"No."

"I bet it'd be fun."

"No."

"Maybe you'd see how dating isn't so bad."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'd really owe you."

"No."

"I'll give you money."

"No."

"I'll give you anything you want."

"No."

"I won't insult your weird ideas or fight with you or anything."

"No."

"_Please_, Maurice, I'm begging you."

"No."

"You suck!" Rose snapped angrily, dropping her fake smile while Maurice kept his expression unreadable and unfazed, "Who else can I get to fake date me to make Michael jealous by tomorrow?"

"Latimer?" Albus guessed jokingly.

"Urgh, no! I'd rather peel off my own skin and eat it than pretend to be with that ugly freak for a single second!" Rose protested with a look of disgust before waving dismissively at Latimer, who was well within earshot, "No offense."

"I don't think you get how the 'no offense' thing works," Latimer pointed out.

"Orous?" Albus offered as if Latimer hadn't spoken.

"No he's got white hair and weird skin and red eyes," Rose said with a shake of her head as Abby returned, "Michael won't be jealous if I date someone who's weird looking. Where's Corin?"

"Don't know," Abby told them disinterestedly, her eyes looked puffy as if she'd been crying, "He ran off after I broke up with him. We're through."

"Think he'd fake date me to make Michael jealous?"

* * *

He stood in the disused girl's bathroom, staring at the entrance to Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber. It was painful, to know exactly how to get to it but to be incapable of doing so. He could feel the Scepter hidden within, the part of it hidden anyway, the other two parts were much further away and not even inside the castle. He noticed the blades of moonlight that sliced through the darkness to touch his flesh, or rather Atticus Ashain's flesh. He watched the silver slivers dancing on the skin for a moment, he missed the light.

"Back again, are we?" the ghost girl questioned, he neither knew nor cared what her name was but she haunted the bathroom.

"Be gone," he commanded, "I told you before, I have no time to spare for the spirits of cowards."

There was a long howling wail followed by a splash as the foolish ghost retreated back to her lavatory, she was pathetic. He had to leave anyway, there was something else to be done that night because he could not allow Atticus to leave the castle - even for somewhere so close and for such a short time as the village - or he'd have to start again. He didn't want to start again, he needed to get the Scepter as soon as possible and its division only made it more awkward to retrieve the three pieces.

He left the bathroom and headed down the stairs as silent as the night, it was too far into the night for those patrolling to still be out or the Astronomy students to still be in class so the castle was his. He descended to the dungeons where the potion ingredients were kept, willing the door to unlock effortlessly and doing the same for the store cupboard. He was glad the Malfoy boy had bought it being a dream, the effort of sending him back had set back his growth and he doubted the boy would've bought it a second time. The Patronus had surprised him though, he hadn't expected the boy to be capable of such a feat. Not that made a difference, he wasn't one of the creatures of the shadow so it didn't hurt him.

He took the ingredients quickly and easily, replacing things carefully and quietly, locking both doors behind him magically again as he left. He had already decided on the potion to create and returned to where Atticus and the children resided, the children slept and he took a cauldron owned by Atticus unchallenged. The potion was a simple one, it was better that way because he'd need less ingredients and time to spend on it, simple didn't necessary mean ineffective. He finished the potion equally easily even having to use Atticus' wand, it barely felt worthy of the title compared to the wand he'd been used to which was why he preferred wandless. He poured the completed potion into a vial and cleaned the rest up, replacing it so Atticus would be none the wiser.

Finally successful, he took the potion into Atticus' living quarters and found the small room belonging to Atticus' son, the little boy with the broken soul. He slept peacefully with the dog lying curled up on his feet, also asleep but it wouldn't be a problem if it was awake due to using Atticus' body. The boy kept a glass of water by his bedside in case he grew thirsty through the night, it was so easy to creep over and pour the contents of the vial into the glass. It was tasteless.

He retreated back to the shadows and cloaked himself from sight magically, there were better methods but he didn't need it to hide from an eight year old for a few minutes. He wandlessly cast a spell on the boy to make him thirsty, the boy rubbed his eyes as he woke and reached for glass. He didn't release the spell until the boy had drunk it all just to be sure, the boy replaced the glass and petted the dog. His dark chestnut brown eyes scanned the room for a moment, possibly picking up on a presence but he hadn't the knowledge to realize it or do anything about it. The boy swallowed and lay back down to try sleep.

He left the boy and returned to Atticus' room, stripping back to underwear and shirt that Atticus had worn to bed, replacing the clothes and wand before lying back down. He closed his eyes. Then he just had to wait for the potion to kick in, the boy would wake Atticus and he'd lose control again. He couldn't compete with Atticus for control of his own body, it was why he needed Atticus to be completely asleep before taking over. For now anyway, he just needed to be patient. The boy wandered it less than half an hour later, shaking his father awake to complain of feeling ill. Atticus woke and the threads of control were taken from him, he barely managed to conjure a bucket in time for the boy to throw up in. Atticus wouldn't leave his sick son for the sake of an outing, the potion wouldn't wear off until after the weekend so he was safe. The best part was that no one would know, children got sick all the time.

* * *

_**Thanks to:** Aya Diefair, Leandriel-Whitestorm, CaptainDaisyAdrianaGrey, A Guest, Winged-panther1 and Guest Reviewer for reviewing!_

_**Questions:**_

_**Is Albus gonna get someone to date soon?**_  
_Not soon, no but at some point eventually he will. He is not alone though Rose, Orous, Maurice, Latimer and now Corin and Abby are all single_

_**What's Vern's opinion of all the on-going conflict with the Shadows and does he want to get more involved in fighting them? I was wandering if Maurice's child soldier outlook would have any influence on him, especially in terms of wanting revenge?**_  
_Vern does want to get more involved in fighting them, they've hurt people he's close to and killed his parents (although he blamed that more on Greyback and considers Michael to have avenged them, which he's grateful for) so he does hate them passionately, and then being around Harry who's actively fighting them and Maurice who's soldier outlook (and how his friends have actively fought against them) does have an effect on making him want to do more and think he can. Notice in the last book, neither Orous or Vern hesitated to help Michael and Nick during the finale events. Vern only didn't do more both because he recognized waking Calderon was important and knew he wasn't as with magic as the other three because using spells scared him so he wasn't useful to fight against them, which is why he's trying to improve himself this book by embracing magic more (like learning and using the spell to ask out Olivia) especially in defense (which you'll see eventually) to make himself more capable to do more next time. Vern does have a drive to fight them, he's just not outspoken about it_


	22. IV: Meeting

_**Thanks to:** CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey, A Guest, Winged-panther1, Lucifersdaughter and Faded Into The Dawn for reviewing!_

_**Author's Note:** I'm splitting this chapter because I feel so bad about not updating today otherwise, when I started this chapter I got the 503 error again so I assumed it was down for the day again and went back to my game but when I chceked it it was back so I went back working on this too late to get it all done and I can't/don't want to rush it either so I apologize for the short chapter  
_

**_Questions:_**

**_Cel can possess people?_**  
_Only using Specters the same way that Sal since she taught him, Brutus and Rabastan to but they can't do it as effectively_

**_The staff is a horcrux right?_**  
_It was Herpo's horcrux in the past that Ashylos destroyed, if you remember from Roman talking about its history last book_

**_Is the soul from inside it is what's possessing Ashain?_**  
_Sorry, as I've said to other theories I'm not confirming or denying what's wrong with him_

**_Why are all James, Albus n Rose so shallow?_**  
_With Rose I imagine her getting it from Ron, he could be quite shallow sometimes like in the fourth book when he ditched Harry for awhile and I'm pretty sure at one point he rejected girl Hermione suggested he ask out to the Yule Ball because he didn't like how she looked. I think I said before that I imagine Ron as the kind of dad who spoils his kids, especially since he often felt overlooked because of his siblings so Rose is used to having nice things and things she wants. She isn't wholly shallow though. Albus is probably the least shallow out of the three you mentioned, he isn't desperate for material things and he does care about looks and notice girls he considers attractive (teenagers tend to do that) but like he stopped liking Midas because her personality ruined it for him so it isn't the only thing he cares about, he can be selfish sometimes (so can everyone) especially when he gets upset but ultimately does put the right things first. James also isn't about material possessions, its more from jealousy that other people have things that he doesn't and (especially in regards to family) feels insecure that they got something better than him because his family love someone more than him. Harry giving Albus the cloak over him is really what started his spiralling insecurity that Harry loves Albus more than him, he can't get what he really wants so he focuses on more petty things that won't really make him happy. And also can I just say, they are all just children/teenagers who you wouldn't expect to be perfect outright anyway and still have to grow, learn and improve themselves as they get older through the story, or get worse_

**_Could one of the higher-ranking shadows (perhaps Brutus?) got into Ashain's mind using some aspect of the Shadows, but since it's only a part of one he wasn't expelled from the school; also, if maybe it is Brutus, it's easier because they're siblings?_**  
_Sorry again, I'm not going to confirm or deny any theories about what's wrong with Ashain but I do love everyone's theories_

**_Isn't Mirra in Molly's year?_**  
_Yes she is_

* * *

_Roman was forced to settle into his increasingly unhappy life which was now spend in mostly solitude with only Enas and his other toys for company. He still felt scared and incredibly lonely, he wanted to talk to someone who talked back and hug someone who hugged back. The first episode wasn't his last either, he had to try to stay calm because if he got too worked up then he had another panic attack. He found talking to himself and Enas the stuffed unicorn helped with keeping them away, better than outright silence and isolation. He didn't Audrey about it, he was too embarrassed and thought it might make her want to be around her even less. He spent his days trying to lose himself in his imagination with his toys, a book or attempting to improve his cooking skills since he had to feed himself for at least one meal a day and he'd rather it taste nice._

_Audrey seemed better off, which was strange for someone in a Ministry secretly controlled by Voldemort but she thought it too risky to leave. Roman hated that she did that, he'd never be caught working for evil maniacs for any reason. She enjoyed work though, often working overtime or bringing her work home with her so she didn't have time for Roman, either that or she was too tired for him. The most time he spent with her was dinner if she didn't miss it from working extra hours, she did most of the talking. Ranting about her boring job or Percy Weasley, some guy she worked with who also was against the Death Eaters too who was apparently was really great. Aubrey never came back._

_Audrey and Percy must only have gotten closer though because before the year up was up, she was inviting him home after work. Roman was to stay in his room and pretend to be sleep if he wasn't already, she didn't want him to 'ruin things'. Of course, he didn't go to bed that early and Roman stole a look through the crack in the wall. He wasn't impressed, he thought Percy just looked pretentious and silly. He just used to sit by the door to listen to them just to feel less alone. At first the visits seemed purely work related, they talked about boring Ministry stuff - that actually did put him to sleep - or if anything else then it was anxiety about the Death Eaters. But gradually they seemed to get more personal and more frequent, more things slipped in, they started about books or music or even foods and other tedious things that they seemed to have in common or even about their pasts._

_For someone so boring, Percy had claim to an interesting past as he apparently knew The Boy Who Lived, he claimed his youngest brother was friends with Harry Potter. Roman thought this was a lie that Percy was just saying to try impress Audrey, who had taken a sudden interest in her appearance since just before the visits started that wasn't like her, Aubrey was the vain one. Someone as cool as Harry Potter wouldn't know someone as lame as Percy, Harry Potter had defeated Voldemort as a baby, Percy thought rules were interesting. And the worst thing about Percy, the absolute worst, was that he admitted to having turned against his family. Roman didn't care he regretted it and wished he could make amends, Percy had abandoned them just like Aubrey had abandoned them. That was unforgivable._

_But did Audrey care? No. Someone the supposed clever missed this and instead consoled him, encouraging him that he could still make amends. Roman hated him. And then when he thought things couldn't get any worse, they started kissing. Each other. On the lips. It was disgusting. Audrey didn't kiss people on the lips, that was married grown up people to do and she wasn't married and she was too young and sensible. Roman realized it was Percy's goal since the beginning, to manipulate his poor, young, unsuspecting sister into trusting him so he could brainwash her, poison her with love potion and probably the Imperius Curse for good measure just to force her to kiss him. Percy was evil. He had to protect his sister. But Percy was scary, he was an adult wizard._

_Roman took a deep breath, feeling another panic attack coming on but if he failed then Percy might decide to kill Audrey next like those Death Eaters had killed his parents. It was up to him to be the hero in all his games and books that he loved so much. He put on his boots and dragon hide gloves then used spellotape to tape books to his legs, thighs, upper arm, lower arm, shoulders and chest for protection like armor. It made him feel safer at least. He put a bowl he'd had his soup dinner in over his head - after wiping it clean - as a helmet, took Enas in one hand and the wooden spoon he'd used for the soup - it was the longest and most weapon-like thing he had in his room - and took another breath. He was as ready as he'd ever be._

_"Get away from my sister, Percy - you evil piece of work, or I'll strike you down with my super powerful magic... power!" Roman announced bravely as he rushed in, jumping onto the table beside the couch that they were kissing on and brandishing the spoon at Percy. Percy was so surprised he fell off the couch._

_"Roman!" Audrey snapped as Percy looked up at him from the ground, there was a moment of silence before he started laughing and Audrey quickly joined him, "You look ridiculous."_

_"It's my armor, and Enas is my noble steed," Roman insisted losing his confidence and his arm started trembling in fear about what Percy would do, he hadn't really planned beyond that. Although Percy was still just laughing, looking rather ridiculous himself with his hair all messed up, lipstick smears on his face and neck and his glasses lopsided from falling on the floor, "Stop laughing!"_

_"You better not have damaged those books."_

_"Aud, shut up, I'm trying to save you from evil."_

_"Me? Evil?" Percy wondered, wiping a tear from his eye as he finally stopped laughing._

_"Yes!" Roman yelled, finding strength in his righteous anger, "I saw you kissing her, I know you're using the Imperius Curse on her!"_

_"I-I... What?"_

_"Roman," Audrey sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as her face went as red as his hair, "Percy didn't do anything wrong... It's called 'dating'."_

* * *

Scorpius was looking forward to Hogsmeade again now he had a plan to get away from his parents and could still go out with Molly, he was hoping there'd be some nice new places he could take her. Michael was still around when he woke up, scowling at one looked like his whole wardrobe minus uniform laid out on his bed. He was also shirtless, revealing his horrific assortment of scars that Greyback had done a good job contributing to. Scorpius felt a pang of simultaneous guilt and sympathy that his friend had suffered so many injuries, what had he been doing while Greyback was tearing Michael apart? Scrabbling for his wand like a useless idiot.

"What's with the clothes?" Scorpius asked curiously to take his mind off it.

"Trying to find something that's both nice enough for my date with Mirra and actually fits me properly," Michael explained as he scratched his chin, "What do you think? I don't have any nice clothes."

"Does that mean you're going to Hogsmeade after all?" Scorpius wondered hopefully but Michael shook his head, he was still glad that Michael was making an effort for something again.

"No but Mirra decided to blow it off to spend time with me so I figure I should do something special and dress nicely and stuff."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah. So what do you think?"

"Um... Do you have anything you didn't wear when you were ten?"

"The stuff that Orous gave me, these jeans, the purple sweater with that red shirt," Michael pointed out to Scorpius' surprise, he'd been kind of joking because a lot of Michael's clothes looked aimed at children.

"Definitely the red one."

Michael changed into that as Scorpius got up and dressed himself, also taking extra care to try dress nice for both his parents and his date with Molly. In contrast, Albus pulled on whatever he found nearest before they headed down to breakfast. Unusually, the girls were the only ones there, Abby looking sad. Maurice and Corin weren't, they were always there first. Scorpius said as much and was answered with a shrug.

"Can I sit with you since you like my Daddy so much?" another small voice and Cassia didn't wait for an answer before sliding in beside Scorpius, she stuck her tongue out in the direction of the staff table before piling up her plate but looked incredibly unhappy, "Thanks of you."

"Hello? What is with you Ashain kids? There's like a million other seats," Albus grumbled and Cassia just threw him a silencing look.

"Something wrong?" Scorpius asked instead as he realized her brother and father weren't at the table, "Are you not looking forward to Hogsmeade with your Dad?"

"We're not going," Cassia informed him as she stabbed at her sausage ineffectively and Michael wordlessly helped her cut it, "Tony's sick. Stupid Marigold's stupid potion didn't help so we can't go, Daddy's still with him but said I should getting breakfast. Thank you, Michael."

"And why do you want to sit with us?" Albus complained again as Cassia began eating the cut up sausage.

"The teachers are being annoyinger. Rivers is keep asking me what my Daddy's secret is to look so younger and Midas is keep asking me about my brother and Skye."

"Who's Skye?"

"My Daddy's ex-wife."

"Your mother?" Rose guessed.

"I have no mother," Cassia announced darkly.

"Everyone has a mother, just because she left-"

"I have no mother!" Cassia shrieked furiously and there were collective gasps and shrieks of terror as the windows in the Great Hall all simultaneously shattered outwards, Cassia wiped her eyes hastily and stubbornly before tears could form, "Skye died to me the day that she lefted Daddy and abandonmened her family. People who turned their backs on family are not real family. I hate Skye and she is nothing to me. And I hate her."

"Absolutely, completely agree, you're so clever," Albus babbled immediately while the staff went to deal with the windows, Professor Longbottom seemed to realize that Cassia caused it because he didn't look worried and after speaking to the others they didn't look worried but Midas and Elwood through dangerous looks at Cassia, "Silly Rose, don't mess with the beliefs of a child who will explode windows if you question them."

"You're such a child," Rose complained with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes," Cassia nodded before Elwood addressed the school to assure them it was an accident with uncontrolled magic, Cassia irritably began muttering a string of curses that a six-year-old shouldn't know under her breath in regards to Skye, Scorpius smiled despite himself at the similarity to her father.

"What happened to the windows?" Maurice asked curiously as he finally joined them, no Corin though.

"Cassia happened," Scorpius said simply, "Where's Corin?"

"This is why relationships are bad, see Corin is too upset to get up. Nothing I could say or do could convince him and that is after he cried for ages yesterday and I had to comfort him, I'm glad you seem to doing better Abby. Do you see my point yet? Dating is bad kids, don't do it."

"I'm with you!" Cassia agreed eagerly while Abby just looked sadder.

"See, that's the right attitude for a soldier. A six year old has a better attitude to you all," Maurice pointed out and there was an assortment of rolled eyes.

"Am I soldier?"

"Yes. We all are."

"Maurice! Stop corrupting the minds of innocent children with your ridiculous indoctrination," Rose protested to which Cassia scowled.

"I wouldn't call her innocent, didn't you see what you happened to the windows? Ashain's kids are diabolical geniuses," Albus whispered to which she simply threw him a dark look.

"I want to be a soldier," Cassia announced, "I want to fighted the bad guys and the Soul Eating Shadows. Like my Daddy. He's the best and the braverest in the whole wider world and defeats all of the badder guys and he's a hero."

"I'm sure he does."

"He does, look I drawed a picture," Cassia told them and pulled out a crudely drawn crayon picture of who he assumed was Professor Ashain in the center with pictures of black figures with wands, shadows, werewolves and fire. The Professor Ashain in the picture raised his wand and crudely drawn yellow lines shot out and zapped the other pictures that seemed to lay down dead. It then reset and started again, "That's my Daddy getting all of the badder guys acause he's the best, I want to be like him and beater the bad guys too. And revenger them for hurting my brother."

"How do you make the pictures move like that that?" Rose wondered curiously.

"Magic. I is a wizard."

"Witch."

"Whatever. You absolutely should do that," Maurice said to Cassia encouragingly and she smiled, "You have a rare and powerful gift, you may not have a wand yet but you should try utilize your Avisora ability to use birds in battle to fight for you, lots of them. They can blind enemies with pecking, scratching or biting or at least cause a useful distraction. In fact you should be careful, if the Soul Eaters know they'd want you to do that for them."

"Maurice!" Rose barked, "Leave the girl alone."

"Okay," Cassia agreed, deciding to ignore Rose and focus on Maurice's words.

Rose continued to throw Maurice dark looks at encouraging Cassia to embrace his soldier mentality for the rest of breakfast, Scorpius saw Calderon for the first time in what felt like forever when he came to fix the windows with his magical light. He didn't have a chance to speak to him though because he had to go back to the dormitory to get the cloak with Albus before Hogsmeade, Albus sighed miserably as he handed it over.

"What?" Scorpius wondered as he tucked it away inside his leather jacket, "Did you change your mind about me using the cloak?"

"No," Albus sighed, "It's got nothing to do with that."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, just... everything. My Dad is a hero, he defeated Voldemort twice and has put away countless other Dark witches and wizards over the years. What have I done?" Albus said miserably, "I _look_ like him but I'm nothing like him. Growing up, I always felt like I was special and perfect just how I was but I'm not. I'm a mediocre wizard at best, James, Lily and even Vern outshine me at everything and I'm not even a natural flier like everyone else in my family, even freakin' Vern can fly and his parents were muggles. My Dad's a hero, my Mum's a famous ex-Quidditch player and what am I? I'm nothing. If he hadn't given me that cloak I wouldn't have any use at all. I don't blame Dad for not wanting to be around me."

"Come on, Al, that's not true and you know it," Scorpius protested and wished Michael had come with them, he was terrible at comforting people.

"Your parents are coming to Hogsmeade just because they want to spend time with you, my Dad couldn't spare five minutes to say hello when he was here on business anyway," Albus pointed out and wiped his eyes, Scorpius tried to think of something to say but Albus cut him off, "Forget it. It doesn't matter, let's just go or we'll not get to go at all."

"Um... Okay."

They headed back down where Professor Longbottom was just starting to check permission slips, again starting from the Seventh Years and working down. At least they didn't have to wait until absolute last this time, unlike Maurice, Orous, Vern and his date Olivia who were only Third Years. He spared them a wave as he joined up with Molly and Latimer for the walk, it was fairly nice weather for the end of October. He missed the usual time alone with her but it made sense with their plan, they walked him to the Three Broomsticks so he wouldn't have to wait alone if his parents weren't there. After meeting up with his parents, they'd split with Molly going with Latimer and Scorpius with his parents for an agreed upon hour and a half. After that, Molly and him would meet up in the Hog's Head for their date while his parents left and Latimer did... whatever he wanted.

You could see Hogsmeade had changed even from a distance, the little thatched roofs were replaced with an entirely new layout and now there was more modernized red tile roofs too, more than thatched and there were more buildings in general. The cobbled streets remained but the layout had changed somewhat, there were a lot of new houses, there were also some new shops and restaurants but there was also a lot of places the same. Or rather, in the same place and had just been rebuilt or repaired maybe although all had newer signs like the Three Broomsticks. There was also a fountain in the middle of Main Street that hadn't been there before, an intricate marble phoenix in flight that was probably meant to symbolize Hogsmeade rising from the ashes but on the base were names of those who died in the attack. He also noticed Aurors patrolling around, considering his knowledge of corrupt Aurors it didn't make him feel safe but he'd expected it, there'd been more staff walking the journey with them as well. He also noticed more than one Hogsmeade resident with a werewolf bracelet.

"Well this is it," Molly announced as they reached the fancy new sign for the Three Broomsticks, she pushed the door open and they were inside the bustling bar. And there were his parents, sitting together in the corner waiting. His mother's bulge was bigger than had been last month, they waved and beckoned him over, "There are your folks."

"Your parents?" a voice commented and Scorpius groaned inwardly as he noticed James and his cronies at the nearest table, oddly Carver wasn't there but James smirked, "Meeting Mummy and Daddy, eh?_ Still_ haven't cut the apron strings, Malfoy, for shame."

"You're just jealous," Latimer pointed out seriously which silenced James' friends who'd started to laugh, James' face burned scarlet.

"Know what I did while I was suspended, I banged your mother," James insult him awkwardly and his friends returned to laughing on cue but Latimer simply raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, didn't have you pegged as a necrophiliac. That's low even by your standards," Latimer said with a straight face while James' went an even darker shade of red and his friends shut up again, he opened and closed his mouth as if struggling to think of a comeback.

"Shut up, Latimer," James spat out finally, "Least I have two feet."

"Yeah, and they're both in your mouth."

"Scorpius?" his father questioned before Scorpius could smirk at Latimer's sharp tongue, he instead turned back to see his father came over to him, probably to get him when he hadn't immediately joined them, "We're over here, son."

"I guess this is goodbye, see you later," Molly said quickly as she went to leave.

"No, you don't have to go. Stay, talk with us. We should get to know the girl who's dating our son," his father offered and she froze, exchanging a look with bemused look with Scorpius but he - and nor could she apparently - think of a way out of it. So much for their plan.

"Um... Okay, Mr Malfoy."

"And who are you?" his father demanded of Latimer with a slight look of disgust.

"He's a friend of Molly's. Not mine," Scorpius lied quickly, afraid of them finding out he'd stayed with Latimer in case he needed to hide out again and they'd know where to look. He thought he saw a flash of hurt in Latimer's eyes, "He was just going."

"Yeah," Latimer muttered and offered a half wave to Molly as he left.

"Yeah, you better run!" James called after him with a look of triumph as he turned back to his cronies, "See, he fears me because he's just a freak. And I'm going to fucking get him for that."

"Well come on," his father insisted, Scorpius and Molly just followed him back to the table where he was pulled into a hug by his mother and kissed an embarrassing number of times before being allowed to sit with Molly. His father smiled, "So do you two want a drink?"

"Sure," Scorpius agreed nervously.

As his father was doing so, he felt a slight burning sensation around his finger from Varanian's message ring. He glanced down as discretely as possible, he knew it might be important and managed to see the words before they faded: _Scepter in school. Find. Guard._


	23. IV: A Long Day

_**Thanks to:** Faded Into The Dawn, CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey, Leandriel-Whitestorm and Lucifersdaughter for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Hopefully Scor explains why he said that, although, will he?_**  
_No he won't unfortunately. Because he knows he didn't mean it and that it was just for his father's benefit, he just assumes Molly and Latimer knew why he said it too and it hasn't crossed his mind that Latimer could've thought he was telling the truth_

**_Will Calderon be getting involved a bit more, since the Scepter happens to be in a Parseltongue-only place?_**  
_Yeah and because he's helping Harry, he will be in it more in the second half of the book_

**_How did Varanian(did I spell that right?) find out about the scepter?_**  
_Varanian (yes you did) found out about it through spying, I know most people hate him but he really does work hard at that stuff. He suspected Harry might've hid it in Hogwarts from what Scorpius told him and had it confirmed when he spied on a Shadow Ministry member, caught them expressing concern to a Soul Eater that the Shadows might storm Hogwarts to get the Scepter which would put his Hogwarts-attending children at risk but they assured him they already had a plan that wouldn't put them at risk_

**_Is he (Latimer) gonna catch a break any time soon, or is he just sentenced to a life of insults and sadness and stuff?_**  
_I honestly don't know, there's a crucial moment later on this book for him and he will get a break after that or things will never get better for him. I haven't decided which yet  
_

**_Will we get to know more about Latimer? Maybe also in Flashbacks?_**  
_Do people want to know more/flashbacks about Latimer? You'll learn some more in this book no matter what but I may put more detail into it if people are interested, no Latimer flashbacks this book because I'm doing Orous/Maurice and thier parents but maybe in future books if people want. (Also not a question but you will see in flashbacks this book why Roman is so cold to Maurice)_

* * *

_Roman still hated Percy. And he still wasn't sold on Percy not having done something to his sister to warp her mind, it would explain why she was happier around Percy but he couldn't do anything about it. While Audrey threatened to disown him if he ever interrupted her date again, he also was forced to have more interaction with Percy since Audrey started having all three of them have dinner together for reasons beyond him. Percy also started spending the night sometimes, meaning he was stuck there for breakfast. The one meal that he always to talk to his sister and Percy would ruin it, Roman hated it. Why couldn't he just go away and leave them alone? His parents were dead, his brother had left, why must Percy try take his sister too? Roman didn't want to be alone. He hated being alone._

_It wasn't long after that the Battle of Hogwarts happened and the war was over, Voldemort was dead and with any luck, his parents' killers had been amongst the casualties. Percy had fought in the final battle apparently, Roman had been overjoyed with Audrey slapped him across the face for his stupidly risking his life but she ruined it by kissing him after for surviving. Why couldn't Percy have just died too? Or just been put into a coma to never wake up so he'd be out of their lives. Percy had also reconciled with his family and lost one of his brothers so it was all bittersweet, Roman had hoped that Percy could just go back to his family and leave them alone now but that wasn't the case. Stupid Percy. If Roman had a chance to be with his family again, he'd leap at it with both hands. Audrey never had time for him as long as Percy was in the picture anyway. And they only seemed to get closer, Percy started leaving his junk around and staying over more frequently no matter how many times Roman tried to throw the stuff back out. It ruined the neatness that Roman worked so hard to achieve when Percy threw down his things everywhere._

_For some reason reconciling with his family also meant Percy wanted Audrey to meet them, Roman was upset at another reason to be left alone until Percy agreed with him. Instead he said that Roman would have to come too. Audrey kept brushing it off, claiming to be too busy but Roman thought it had more to do with her being afraid of being nervous. He finally succeeded in convincing her though - Roman suspected Percy had used magical force - in July for a family gathering... How many siblings had Percy said he had again?_

_"And remember be polite and don't do anything bad, or weird," Audrey was complaining as she combed his hair neatly as if he was an idiot, she bit her lip nervously, "I really want this to go well, okay? So just be on your best behavior."_

_"Wouldn't it be easier to leave me here?" Roman half-asked, half-pleaded desperately._

_"Aren't you always begging to go with me?"_

_"No, I'm begging you to stay. Don't you even listen to me?" Roman said hopelessly as he cuddled his stuffed unicorn Enas close for comfort, "Please, Aud, I don't want to go."_

_"Roman, if Percy and I are going to work then our families need to meet."_

_"Percy hasn't met Aubrey and that's worked out perfectly fine."_

_"Because he left," Audrey said darkly, "When you're old enough to walk out on your family too then you can skip out on meeting Percy's family but until then, you're stuck. So be good, okay?"_

_"Ready?" Percy asked with a smile that Roman wished Audrey would slap off again, he frowned at Roman though, "Are you really going to bring that silly thing?"_

_"Enas is my friend," Roman protested and hugged Enas closer, there was no way he was getting through it without Enas._

_"Don't you think you're getting a bit old for stuffed toy unicorns? You're almost eleven."_

_"No."_

_"Let him be, we need to go," Audrey interjected on his behalf for once as she glanced anxiously at the clock, consider they were quarter of an hour early, Roman didn't see the panic but then Magnus had always encouraged punctuality._

_Percy also seemed to agree that being an entire quarter of an hour late was atrocious as he too hurried to leave, talking through how to use Floo powder like Roman was an idiot. Percy went first to 'The Burrow' and Audrey made him go next, it was like she was afraid he'd just not follow her or something... Which he actually had been hoping to do. Instead he was forced to go to 'The Burrow'. He was petrified when he stepped out of the fireplace into a place that was... messy. Utterly and hopelessly messy, even Percy was better than this. He cuddled Enas fearfully and stepped out of the way for Audrey, inching closing to Percy who was being hugged by a random woman. Roman felt his start to seize up when the sheer amount of people already there, Roman grabbed Audrey's arm fearfully the moment she was through._

_"Alright everyone," Percy said as he cleared his throat and started pointing to people as he spoke, "That's my Father, Arthur, and my Mother, Molly. This is my brother, Bill, and his wife, Fleur. My other brothers, Charlie and George there. Then here's my youngest brother, Ron, and his girlfriend, Hermione. Finally, my sister, Ginny, and her boyfriend, Harry. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Audrey, and her little brother, Roman."_

_Roman yelped fearfully at being introduced to the hoard of red-haired humans, jumping behind Audrey in terror as their eyes turned to him. He felt his heart pressing painfully against the inside of his ribcage from beating so fast, Percy was saying something about him being 'a little shy'._

_"Can we go now?" Roman begged in a whisper that he could barely hear himself._

_"No," Audrey hissed and tried to free her arm, having it yank it away from him and Roman noticed indents from nails from gripping so hard, "Remind me to cut your nails when we get home."_

_Roman was actually glad to have been separated from her because she was quickly engulfed by Percy's parents to meet her, he darted away from... whatever their names were, Mr and Mrs Weasley quickly and stood cuddling Enas in the dump of a home. He didn't feel safe in a messy a place, mess was when things were going badly wrong. Percy's family looked scarier than he did, one of them... Roman knew he should've listened to which was who but at least he could tell which were Weasleys from the red hair. One Weasley brother had scars across his face, another was missing an ear and another was sporting a burn on his arm. How had they got them? From trying to kill people that fought back? They looked like the kind of people to kill callously, he trembled in fear and squeezed Enas for dear life._

_The adults seemed to be ignoring him though, just mingling and talking amongst themselves. Maybe he could Floo away while no one was looking? He crept back towards the fireplace to reach for the Floo powder, only to find the pot lifted over his head and placed out of reach by Percy. Stupid Percy. Stupid childish shortness. Roman turned back to the crowd, his eyes darting over them fearfully while his poor heart continued thundering. And then he noticed something about Harry, he did have lightning bolt scar on his forehead. Percy hadn't been lying after all. Roman was standing in a room with Harry Potter, the hero who'd defeated Voldemort twice. Hs awe overrode his fear for a moment as he watched Harry talk to the Weasley girl, he and Harry both were orphans with black hair. They had so much in common, he had things in common with a hero. That made him smile inwardly and feel less completely alone, it gave him courage to cross the distance between them._

_"Ex-Excuse me, Sir?" Roman interrupted nervously but too quietly to be heard, it took him a few attempts before Harry notice him. The Harry Potter looked at him with a kindly smile, "Y-You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"_

_"Yes I am," Harry admitted and his smile wavered while Roman's grew, he was having a conversation with Harry Potter!_

_"I-I'm Roman," Roman offered stupidly, Percy had already introduced them. He just needed to stop stuttering and saying stupid things, "Th-hank... I mean... It... I... What you did was really... hero-coo-goo-brav-great. W-With stopping Volde- The Dar- You-Know... Him. And... everything."_

_"Erm... I'm sorry. You'll have to speak up, I didn't quite catch that," Harry told him awkwardly._

_Roman looked down, his cheeks burning from the humiliation of having made a fool of himself in front of a hero. His courage poured out of him, leaving just a small shaking boy cuddling a stuffed unicorn. It was best to just get out of there before he made Harry angry, a powerful hero who could kill Dark Wizards as a baby could easily destroy a defenseless ten-year-old. He wanted something to show for meeting someone so cool though and running away abruptly might also offend Harry, his heart was pounding again but with a great amount of courage, he managed to raise his head to look at Harry again._

_"Can I have your autograph?" Roman asked louder than before but still barely passing the range of a whisper. Harry rolled his eyes with an angry irritated look while the youngest-looking Weasley brother laughed._

_"Just can't get away from autographs and fans," the Weasley brother commented in amusement, had Roman just offended Harry somehow anyway? He felt tears prick his useless eyes._

_"The downside of defeating Voldemort. Fine," Harry agreed._

_"I don't want one now!" Roman squeaked in fear and misery as he tried to run, almost colliding with Percy and instead gripped his arm for dear life, he wiped his tears on Enas to hide them, "I want to go home now, Percy. I'm scared."_

_"Roman, you just got here," Percy complained, "And what could you possibly be afraid of?"_

_"I offended Harry Potter and now he wants to murder me," Roman explained desperately in terror, "I think all your family do, they're scary and I want to go home now. I don't want to die. Percy, please, I'll be nice to you and stop throwing away your things. Please."_

_"They don't want to murder you, you're being silly," Percy insisted and looked in pain as he wrenched his arm free, Roman noticed he'd actually broken the skin on Percy's arm from his nails that Percy looked at in shock, "Geez, you actually drew blood."_

_"Good. Can I go now?"_

_"No, look Mother's just serving the food. Nice food," Percy pointed out and gestured to the food being brought to the table, it did smell nice but Roman didn't care._

_"I don't mind starving. Please, Percy."_

_"There's nothing to be scared of, they're just people and my family are nice," Percy insisted and led him to the table, putting him in a seat that wasn't next to his sister, "You're getting worked up over nothing. Come on, what happened to having power and whatever you said when you met me?"_

_"You're one person not a million plus I was just lying to scare you away and it didn't even work!" Roman wailed miserably but too loudly because others at the table were now looking on with so many eyes, Roman was shaking again as he squeezed Enas._

_"Do you want some ham?" Mrs Weasley offered as she prepared to give him a slice while One Ear asked Percy about what he'd meant._

_"No!" Roman yelped in fear at being addressed and shrank back in his seat._

_"Just when he first met me, had spellotaped books to himself and was brandishing a spoon," Percy explained, "Like that was actually threatening, so goofy and adorable."_

_"And he had a bowl on his head," Audrey added while the table started laughing._

_"Stop laughing at me!" Roman shrieked tearfully and they shut up in surprise, Audrey started to tell him not to be so sensitive but Roman was already fleeing in haze of tears with Enas._

* * *

"Here's your drink," his mother offered.

"What?" Scorpius looked up at his Butterbeer, having zoned out to stare at the ring for more information but had received none.

He couldn't even attempt to ask for more until he was alone. He tried to put it out of his mind and focus on his parents but it was hard, how was he supposed to find and guard it? Was Harry insane to put it in a school in the first place? Did he not think the Soul Eaters targeted Hogwarts enough without making it even _more_ of a target? And how had Varanian found out? Did the Shadows know? Were they planning something?

"Scorpius?" his father questioned and he looked up again, "Are you even listening?"

"Of course," Scorpius lied.

"What was I saying?"

"You were saying..." Scorpius began and realized he was going to be caught in a very obvious lie until he noticed Molly gesture to her werewolf bracelet, "Or rather asking why we were wearing the werewolf bracelets."

"Oh, yeah, that's right," his father admitted in surprise and Molly wink, he couldn't help but smile.

"We wear them because it's an unfair law and I wanted to support my_ friend_ who's a _werewolf_, we try to get other people to as well because if lots of non-werewolves are wearing them too then it makes them pointless because it's no longer just werewolves. Maurice explains it better, it was his idea."

"Clever," his mother pointed out and Scorpius wouldn't, looking at her pregnant reminded him of the baby sister he was going to lose.

He did put more effort into the conversation though as he and Molly were both asked how their classes were going, how Quidditch was going - Scorpius was shocked to realize it was exactly two weeks until their first match of the season - and other school-related questions, they in turn had to ask about his parents' lives and the pregnancy too. It was how conversation worked. Occasionally they were thrown an unusual question to catch them off guard, things like if the two year age gap was awkward - which Scorpius effortlessly dismissed by asking his parents the same question since they had the same age gap - or if anything strange or bad was happening that could potentially injure him in any way to stop it being a 'normal' year. Scorpius was starting to think a 'normal' year was a year where strange things happened.

Despite it being a surprise and an inconvenience to their plan, Scorpius was actually kind of glad in a way they'd asked Molly to stay too. It may be a bit uncomfortable and he was scared they'd disapprove, he was sure Molly was nervous too from the way she kept trying to not bite her fingernails. But his parents had criticized him as being too young and not ready for a relationship before, the fact they wanted to know Molly might actually mean they were accepting he was growing up. Maybe they wouldn't think of him as a weak, pathetic child forever. His parents didn't bring up him leaving Hogwarts either so that was a relief, maybe it was because Molly was there as well. If only Varanian could've picked a better time to 'ring' him.

It still took longer than intended to get away, Molly being there had thrown the both of them and it was well after an hour before they thought of making an excuse to leave. His mother would insist on one more drink whenever they did try to leave anyway, Scorpius wished she wouldn't. He was dying to try asking Varanian for more information. He also didn't think he'd ever say that he preferred the dingy, dirty, unkempt Hog's Head to anything but he preferred the Hog's Head to the Three Broomsticks. He actually preferred the quiet to the crowded and loud much more popular pub, Latimer was lucky to be there not here. Eventually though they managed to get away, after more hugging and kisses from his mother.

"Take care, son," his father added and patted his shoulder, about as affectionate as he'd be in public before Scorpius rejoined Molly.

"Finally," Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief as they headed for the exit, his fingers intertwining with Molly's as if they were made to fit perfectly with each other's, "I'm sorry about that, I hope it wasn't too painful."

"I guess it's fair since you'll be around my Dad for the wedding," Molly shrugged and looked nervous, "They seem nice enough, I just hope they liked me."

"How could they not? You're brilliant and beautiful," Scorpius wondered and kissed her gently as she blushed before heading out, leaving his parents to watch on sadly from their table, "I hope your Dad likes me."

"How could he not when you pay so much attention to people when they're talking?" Molly joked and Scorpius felt himself blush.

"And thanks for helping me out back there."

"It's okay, you get me next time. So what do you want to do? Go to the Hog's Head or explore Hogsmeade for a bit?"

"We could explore, it's so stuffy and cramped in there that some fresh air would be nice," Scorpius answered before wondering if that sounded insensitive, "Unless you want to go there first."

"No, I'm good. Curious," Molly agreed to his relief, he squeezed her hand tighter and reminded himself how lucky he was to have Molly, "Looks different when werewolves aren't trying to kill everyone."

"Yeah," Scorpius nodded, also thinking back to that horrible night when he'd failed Michael.

They walked in silence for a while, exploring the new layout and new buildings of Hogsmeade with only occasional comments. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence though, he felt relaxed around her even if they didn't say anything and Molly gave no sign of being bothered either. There were some places, some nice restaurants that he thought would be perfect for a future date with Molly. He spotted Vern with Olivia, sitting by the fountain laughing together which he took to be a good sigh. There was also an ice cream parlor that appeared to popular with students already, including with his friends. He saw Abby, Albus and Rose in there, Abby still looked unhappy but the other two seemed to be trying to cheer her up from the encouraging looks on their faces. There was also some interesting looking shops too, _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ had been expanded and revamped as they saw from lingering by it. Orous and Maurice walked by them too, looking less tense than they had in a while. He wondered if he should tell Maurice about the Scepter, locating it seemed like something he'd be good at.

"Your parents should try there for your brother," Molly pointed out and nodded at a new shop called 'Babies and Beyond' which appeared to have an assortment of baby products from the interior.

"It's a girl," Scorpius insisted before they almost walked into the couple exiting the shop, blinking in surprise when he realized it was Freddie and Caitlin, "What were you doing in there?"

"My Aunt Gabrielle and Cel are having a baby, its due in November so we were looking for baby gifts," Freddie answered with a dismissive shrug, "Stuff is expensive though. Super expensive."

"That's oddly mature of you," Molly commented.

"I can be mature," Freddie protested but Caitlin only laughed.

"Says Fast Freddie Weasley?" Caitlin wondered jokingly.

"Ha! See I'm not the only one who calls me that!"

"Ha! See that's such an immature thing to say."

"I'm totally mature," Freddie insisted, actually looking concerned that she didn't think he was as he took her hand and headed off, "Absolutely mature, I'm the most maturerest... Maturest? What's the word I'm looking for here?"

Scorpius and Molly also continued on their way, Scorpius ignored the things in the window. He didn't want to think about babies and losing his sister, Freddie's Aunt Gabrielle and Cel were lucky that their baby wasn't in danger of dying. Poor Lyra. He'd have been a terrible brother anyway. They continued their exploration, Scorpius was about to suggest the Hog's Head since they would have to be heading back soon anyway when he noticed something. In the window of one of the book shops, a colorful title about Greek Mythology and he couldn't help but think of poor little Antonius.

"Wait up, I want to get something and then how about we head to the Hog's Head?" Scorpius half-asked and half-told Molly.

"Err... Sure, what did you want?" Molly wondered and Scorpius nodded his head to the bookstore.

"Professor Ashain's son is sick so I was going to get him that book... You know to cheer him up, a get well present. He was trying to read a similar thing the other day," Scorpius explained and realized Molly was looking at him with a strange expression, "What?"

"You can just be really sweet and kind sometimes," Molly told him seriously as she caressed his cheek and pressed her lips against his, he was blushing when she pulled away. They headed into the shop and he got the book, as well as a coloring book so Cassia wouldn't feel left out, "And generous."

They went to the Hog's Head after that, Scorpius noticed the number of Aurors diminished outside of the high street and had none around their pub. The Hog's Head still stood but also seemed to have been rebuilt to a certain extent, it had been designed the same but the glass in the windows was clean and not as dank, the wood newer and nicer too. It was still dank inside but cleaner, there was a handful more people than he was used to and all of which had werewolf bracelets. Oddly, Latimer wasn't one of them. The barkeeper was the same old Aberforth although as they approached, Scorpius noticed fresh scars down his neck as a war wound from the werewolf attacks. He was wearing a werewolf bracelet too.

"Hey Ab," Molly greeted him cheerfully since she was on good terms with him, "How are you?"

"Still standing like yourself I see," Ab pointed out, "No Latimer?"

"Wasn't he here earlier?"

"Nope, I wanted to thank him for saving my ass but I haven't seen him. Only students here was the albino and the deaf boy handing out these bracelets, had a drink too," Ab explained and gestured to the one on his wrist, "Since werewolves are my best clients now, I figure I'd do my part."

"Your best clients?" Scorpius wondered in confusion.

"Only one Hogwarts student got bit but plenty of Hogsmeade residents did, they're not too happy about it and Wolfsbane weeks are the busiest of the month. Especially with PAW hunting 'em down left, right and center, easy targets with the bracelets so folks are scared."

Scorpius hadn't thought of that, he didn't really read the paper. He insisted on paying for their Butterbeers and thought on it as they went to sit down, he'd just assumed the PAW would calm down when things died down. He shoved it out of his mind as Molly handed him his drink.

"I wonder where Latimer went," Scorpius mused thoughtfully.

"Probably back to the castle," Molly shrugged and scowled "He didn't want to come to Hogsmeade at all, he only did because I badgered him to for that first hour at least. He doesn't feel like doing much these days, not that he'd admit he's going through things or that words hurt him."

"You're prefects."

"Taking points doesn't seem to make a difference and Midas doesn't think things like that warrant detentions so I can't do that."

"I really don't like her," Scorpius complained of Midas.

Somehow common dislike of her managed to get them back into cheerful conversation and they were laughing again before too long, something they hadn't actually done with his parents. They only had time for the one drink before heading back together, holding hands and sneaking kisses on the path back to Hogwarts where they parted ways after a long lingering kiss. He thought he'd finally gotten the hang of being a boyfriend because things seemed to be going well with them.

He headed back to his dormitory while Molly returned to hers or possibly to find Latimer for dinner, Scorpius put back Albus' cloak before heading to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to give the Ashain kids their gifts. With any luck, he'd still have time before dinner to try get more information out of Varanian if not he could wait until after, he needed to fill Michael in too. He almost walked into Professor Ashain leaving.

"Hey Professor Ashain," Scorpius greeted him happily, noting the professor wasn't dressed in his usual robes but simple jeans and a white shirt.

"Sorry, Scor, this is a bad time," Professor Ashain apologized, "I'm just getting dinner for my kids, my son's sick so I don't want to be gone long. Can it wait until I get back?"

"I just got Antonius a book as a get well present and Cassia a coloring book to not feel left out, all I wanted was to drop them off," Scorpius offered and held up the bag.

"Thanks, that's really nice of you. They're in there, in my office, its open," Professor Ashain pointed out with a grateful smile before carrying on, it struck Scorpius that Rivers was right. For a man in his mid-forties, Professor Ashain could easily pass for someone who was barely in his thirties.

Scorpius went into the empty classroom, there was light already coming from the office up the stairs. Scorpius followed up and saw a room had opened up in the office that led to the professor's living quarters, similar to Calderon's room except it came off from an office. He continued on through to a small sitting room type area that seemed to double as a dining room from the table wedged against the wall with three chairs, there was also an assortment of toys crammed into crannies out of sight, shelves lined with a mixture of children's books and older books he knew were Professor Ashain's.

Antonius' bed had apparently been moved into that room because it was very chunky and out of place with a pail beside it, Antonius himself was sitting up in it and looking ill. His skin seemed waxy and tiredness was etched into his face that hadn't been there the other day, he could see the sweat on the boy's brow even from the doorway. He noticed the extremely dark auburn Ashain hair looked damp, sticking up at all angles uncharacteristically of Antonius which actually made it look much Albus' when he woke up in the morning. Or anytime actually. Cassia was sitting on the couch playing with some stuffed toys and the dog came over to greet Scorpius with a wagging tail, of course both kids looked to him when he arrived.

"I-I got you presents," Scorpius offered nervously, having just wanted to give the gifts and leave. He didn't really know what to do with little kids all by himself, he wasn't Michael. Cassia discarded the toys and rushed to him happily, he handed the coloring book, "Since you seem to like drawing... I got you that."

"Cool! Thanks you!" Cassia told him with a smile and Scorpius found himself being hugged by the small girl.

"You're... You're welcome," Scorpius brushed it off with a blush and she jumped away to skim through the pictures while he continued over to Antonius who'd remained on the bed but had swung his legs over the side in preparation to go over to him, Scorpius took out the book on Greek Mythology and Antonius formed a strained smile through his waxy skin, "Thought it might be better than the Library... I hope you feel... feel better soon."

Antonius looked gratefully and opened his mouth as if to speak before his smile drained, along with the last of the sickly pale color from his skin. Scorpius put down the book hastily and grabbed up the bucket just in time for Antonius to throw up, he shook and clutched his stomach in pain. Scorpius sympathetically rubbed Antonius' back soothingly, recalling his parents doing that when he was younger and ill, muttering whatever random reassuring things he remembered them saying to him. It seemed to pass though and Antonius seemed to relax although continued quivering slightly, there was a glass of water and cloth on the window by the bed. Both of which used, letting Antonius wash away the vile taste and wiping his chin.

"That better?" Scorpius asked gently and Antonius nodded as he leaned back against him again.

"Thanks," Antonius croaked weakly.

"Hey! That's like what's in my dreams," Cassia exclaimed suddenly and both of them looked to her, she must've come to investigate her brother's gift because she was looking at the book. Excitedly, she turned it round and pointed to a picture of an Ancient Greek village similar to the ones from his dreams from the Scepter, "And so is those letters."

"That can't be right," Antonius complained, his voice still a weak whisper, "That's like what my dreams are about. And they're all in a funny language that I don't understand."

"So are mine! I don't amember much but is flashing but I know bits and it's all a differenter speaking that I don't know."

"Wait, wait, what?" Scorpius interrupted in shock that was shared to a lesser extent to the Ashain siblings, "What else about the dreams?"

"They're not nice," Antonius told him sadly, "Fire and armies and a giant snake and magic and vultures."

"So are mine," Cassia confirmed.

Scorpius only scowled deeper, it sounded an awful lot like his Scepter dreams. But that was impossible unless they'd found it somehow? He was trying to think of the best way to phrase it to ask it when Professor Ashain returned with two plates and a bowl that looked like soup, he put them down on the table and the dreams were forgotten as Cassia rushed over to eat while Professor Ashain went to his sick son. Scorpius stepped aside and left him to it, hurrying away quickly.

Would they really have hidden the Scepter in a place that two children could easily find? It didn't seem very safe, not for the Scepter and not for the people since they knew of Scorpius' reaction to it. And the Ashains didn't have Blood Runes scars, why would it have reacted to them? Would they not have told their Dad? And if they had, had he just not told them to expect the dreams? It seemed awfully sloppy to let the Ashains get their hands on it, they were better than that. If Scorpius wanted to hide something in Hogwarts, he'd put it somewhere that was out of the way and hard to access like the Chamber of Secrets of the Room That Doesn't Exist. Although the latter seemed less safe considering Michael had said Florian knew of it but the Chamber... Would they have used that? Why wouldn't they with a Parselmouth at their command? But no. There was no way the Ashains could've gotten to the Scepter there. Unless they hadn't and they were getting the dreams for some other reason... Because their father had been around it or something? Scorpius didn't know. It was frustrating.

His aimless wandering had stupidly brought him to the Great Hall instead of his dormitory to try contact Varanian, maybe it was better to talk it over with Michael first anyway. He joined his friends at the table, Corin still wasn't there though. The meal had already started, everyone but Michael having already started without him. It took him a minute to realize that Michael was actually smiling.

"Date go well?" Scorpius inquired, feeling his worries lift slightly at the thought of Michael's mood improving from something good. Rose threw him a murderous look.

"Yeah," Michael confirmed happily as they started piling their plates with food, "We had a picnic outside by the lake because it was a nice day for October, it was really great, Mirra's great."

"Did you kiss her?" Albus asked wistfully.

"Yeah, we made out as well as talked."

"You made out?" Scorpius wondered in surprise and Michael nodded.

"Yes," Michael confirmed, "I'm sure you and Molly have plenty of times. Did you know Mirra likes guitar music?"

"Hmm..." Scorpius mused as he felt his good mood crashing again, he'd been going out with Molly for much longer and they'd never made out. Kissed yes, but not made out. Was he doing wrong? Were they supposed to have done that already? Was Molly expecting him to do that? Was he going too slowly again? Was Molly unhappy? So much for things going well and getting the hang of being a boyfriend.


	24. IV: Change

_**Thanks to:** Lucifersdaughtet, Winged-panther1, Aya Diefair, A Guest and Guest Reviewer for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_So Latimer drama?_**  
_Some yeah_

* * *

_Roman was miserable. Audrey was furious with him for ruining meeting Percy's family and embarrassing her, she insisted he needed to stop being so sensitive. She also frequently pointed out how stupid he was for thinking they wanted to kill him, she hadn't seen their parents die though and she didn't know what it was like. After a few hours of being yelled at, she'd stormed off and left him there to curl up with Enas - his loyal stuffed unicorn - to cry himself to sleep._

_Despite Audrey's rant and terror of it ruining her relationship with Percy, this proved to not be the case - unfortunately - and he even had the nerve to ask how Roman was doing. While Roman desperately hoped the awful experience would be the last time he was forced to face the Weasleys, this also was deemed false as Percy was adamant that he wanted his family to know his 'girlfriend'. For reasons beyond Roman, this included him being there too not left alone. The compromise was that there'd be less Weasleys there, comprising of only his parents and those who still lived at the Burrow - which was still a lot - but it didn't help. Roman had another panic attack seeing all of them, imagining them laughing as Percy played with his and Audrey's body's like Bishop had done to his parents, he'd passed out._

_The next attempt had been just Percy's parents and Roman had managed to cope with that, Percy's parents actually seemed nice - or were pretending to be, this was probably more likely - although he still felt uncomfortable. He'd hoped that since it was finally over and done with that it would just be over, however there was a new threat he had to contend with. One sunny summer morning after Percy had spent the night, Roman was surprised when for the first time in his life, a letter dropped in front of him. Audrey looked surprised but Percy didn't seem to think it deserved a second thought as he asked Audrey to pass the orange juice, Roman took a shaking breath and opened the envelope with a mixture of curiosity and fear._

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL_

_of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall_

_Dear Mr Rivers,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Filius Flitwick_  
_Deputy Headmaster_

_"Oh, it's just a Hogwarts letter," Roman said, relieved that it wasn't something worse but disappointed it wasn't anything cool as he tossed it aside dismissively to be thrown out along with the second page._

_"Just a Hogwarts letter?" Percy wondered incredulously, "Aren't you excited to finally be able to learn magic at Hogwarts?"_

_"I already learned magic at home, if anything I should be looking forward to my birthday so I can finally get a wand. Our family doesn't go to Hogwarts," Roman explained, Percy was an idiot. And thinking about his birthday saddened him, the pain of losing his parents obliterating the nine other years of happy birthdays. He really hoped Audrey wouldn't make a big deal out of it._

_"You're not going to send him to Hogwarts?" Percy demanded of Audrey instead._

_"Err... Well he's right, Mother went to a school in America that you have to pay for and Father never went to school at all. Aub and I were both home taught magic, worked out pretty fine for me," Audrey offered, sounding more sure of herself as she went on._

_"This is different though, your parents were around to teach you. Do you really want to give up all of your free time to teach Roman? Because even if you did that, it still wouldn't amount to as much as Hogwarts or even as much time as you were given. How's he supposed to learn seven years plus in only weekends and semi-days of learning? You can't afford a babysitter, let alone a tutor."_

_"I... I don't know."_

_"I'm a fast learner and I don't care if it'll take longer than a full time education would," Roman interjected, hurt that his sister hadn't defended the obvious point herself but Percy continued as if he hadn't spoken._

_"And then there are other things to consider, is it really good for him to stay here alone - which he hates - all day? Clearly its negatively impacting him to the point he can't handle a simple family meal, he needs to be out there with people to get used to it because if he can't handle a meal then he won't be able to function when he's old enough for a job. Hogwarts is a good place, he can make friends and get used to people, the teachers are good people and talented in their specialized subjects so he'll learn a lot and probably most importantly of all is that Hogwarts is a prestigious school. Future employers will think much more highly of OWLs and NEWTs from a place like Hogwarts, plus he can do extra things such as becoming a prefect and Head Boy which will absolutely improve his chances of getting a good career."_

_"Aud, you can't seriously be listening to him?" Roman scoffed when Audrey didn't immediately call Percy on being an idiot._

_"I'll think about it, just not now," Audrey offered and wordlessly pocketed the letter._

* * *

Varanian stalked through the crowded street as casually as possible, stopping occasionally to feign interest in shop windows he passed. Not that he had any interest, he only did so to appear inconspicuous or for a reason to stop since the target had, and because windows were a fantastic tool to utilize for looking in more directions without actually having to appear curious. In this instance, it was because his target had stopped.

On a random corner no less, probably the assigned meeting place although the guy was far more suspicious than him. Varanian watched him fidgeting and shifting nervously in the window's reflection, a shop selling hats apparently he noticed through his stinging eyes. He felt heat around his finger and glanced at the ring, a message finally forming from Scorpius: _more info?_ Varanian shook his head tiredly, that was what he was trying to get. He hoped it wouldn't take long for the target's contact to show up, his eyes were prickling painfully from not sleeping which wasn't the ideal condition to be in when spying. You missed things.

"Hey, Professor," an excited voice whispered as he realized a person was now standing beside him, he sounded somewhat familiar.

"I'm sorry, I think you must have me confused with someone else," Varanian told the guy, trying to sound different to his usual without daring to look away from his target in the reflection. Although he did make sure he still appeared to look unlike himself in the window, sometimes he could slip if he was exhausted but the stranger he'd made himself look like stared back.

"I'm quite sure I don't, I've been trying to find you for months ever since I heard about that speech you gave in Hogsmeade about fighting the Shadows or Soul Eaters or whatever they're called."

"That was Roman not Varanian and I'm neither of them so leave me alone, I'm busy," Varanian insisted irritably and spared a glance for the speaker, surprised to find he recognized him.

Wyatt Grant. He'd been a student from Varanian's teaching days but mostly he remembered him since he was on his list of 'missing' people that was definitely linked to the Soul Eaters. He was in his early twenties now although his hair still hadn't decided if it was blond or brown but it was filthy, shaggy and stuck up at odd angles now, his face was worn and also dirty. In fact all his clothes looked dirty, worn and torn as if he'd been sleeping rough. His eyes were a bright azure color though and he was smiling enthusiastically or maybe dementedly based off his appearance.

"I know it's you, Professor," Wyatt protested, seeming quite proud of himself, "I've been following you, well actually I didn't know how to find you so I thought I'd follow the Soul Eaters and they're easy to tell because they're the ones who keep trying to murder me when I show my face. I've seen you change appearance three times as you follow Reth and metamorphmagi aren't that common, you're the only one I know or well Teddy Lupin but I didn't really know him personally but we were in the same year so I saw him around but Aurors-In-Training don't follow Ministry personnel around whether they're suspected of being Shadows or not."

"I think I would've noticed if you were following," Varanian pointed out and pre-emptively moved his hand to his wand in preparation to be on the defense.

"If I was a human then absolutely yes, I'm sure you would. I mean how you could not with those freakishly piercing eyes that bore into your soul even if they're not the same color as usual and that kind of always scared me slightly although but I wasn't human at the time. I'm an animagus you see, I can turn into this cute little gliding lizard and it's really good for spying on people too. I can be really useful to you, Professor, and I wasn't a bad student really, I mean you always used to say to say I talk too much and too quickly but I got an O in OWLs and an E in NEWTs for Defense Against the Dark Arts and that's pretty good, right?"

"You're not a registered animagi."

"Funny story, well not so much funny as sad and terrifying if you're the one who it's about. I was _trying_ to become an animagi and then Soul Eaters killed my roommate because he was a muggle-born and they wanted his magic or something like that, I only came in near the end of it and I couldn't save him," Wyatt explained with his smile wavering sadly, "But they tried to kill me too since I was a witness but I managed to get away, I recognized one of them as this guy who's high up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement because my sister's a journalist and I read all her articles and he was mentioned in one of them with a picture so I've been afraid to go to the Ministry because they can murder people with the Specters pretty easily.

"So I've been in the run from the Soul Eaters and in hiding, they keep trying to kill him if they find me but I finally managed to master transforming and become an animagi while on the run and it's been invaluable in staying alive. But I haven't registered because... well then I'd have to go to the Ministry where the Shadows would be able to find out and you know, murder me. I don't like hiding though, I'm fed up of just surviving and living like this. If you're fighting them then I want to help too, I might as well because I'm never going to have my life back otherwise and it's the right thing to do, those bastards killed my roommate. I get that you may not find it easy to trust me when a lot of the world wants you dead right now but the Shadows want you dead too, I've heard them mentioning their frustration over not being able to kill you yet so I've known you're innocent for a while now but I didn't realize you were doing something useful instead of just hiding away. It really put me to shame and made me realize I could be doing so much more, please let me join you, Professor."

"Stop calling me 'Professor' because I'm not that anymore," Varanian complained as he tried to think, Wyatt could be telling the truth or it was an elaborate trap possibly, "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm telling the truth, do whatever - hell, read my mind if it'll make you believe - but I'm telling the truth. I can tell you what I've learned, the few names I know but not here please because it's kind of risky for me to be out in the open like this and I'd rather not die. What's not to believe?"

"Ruining my... information gathering for one," Varanian pointed out and glanced back to his target to see him talking to a cloaked figure now while Wyatt started babbling about being afraid of not having another chance to speak to him, the cloaked one was gesturing in their direction and drawing a- "Move!"

Varanian moved as he spoke, throwing himself to one side just in time to avoid the explosive spell aimed in their direction. Wyatt wasn't so fast and cried out in pain as the spell caught his arm, burning it to some degree and slamming him through the glass. The cloaked figure stepped into the shadows and vanished while his target fled with the rest of the panicked crowd, he doubted the cloaked figure had retreated though. Vanishing and reappearing was an annoying tactic they used and the target would be calling for reinforcements, usually they came up behind him though so that was where he turned with his wand. He was wrong though, the figure stepped out of the shadows to stand over Wyatt as he struggled to sit up inside the hat shop.

"_Avada Ke_-"

The figure had started to say with their wand aimed squarely at Wyatt, Varanian cut him off by throwing a nonverbal spell at him but the figure noticed in time and slammed up a shield. The force of the colliding magic still threw him back and Varanian jumped through the ruined window to fire several more stunners in rapid succession while he had the advantage, one of them hit and he cloaked figure slumped unconsciously.

"Behind you!" Wyatt cried as he scrambled to his feet, his injured arm clutched to his chest and his good one pointing.

Varanian spun, throwing up a Shield Charm up as he did so that caught whatever spell - or spells - had been fired from the three newcomers but the force still knocked him back. Undeterred, he flicked his wand and that shards of glass from the shattered window rose obediently to dart at the attackers. One threw themselves clear, one disapparated and one screamed in pain as the shards impaled him. He heard a crack and knew one of them had reappeared inside the shop but he intended to take full advantage of the shop owner lowering the wards to escape, he grabbed Wyatt and disapparated them both to safety.

* * *

_Audrey said no more to him about the Hogwarts nonsense, Roman was glad to see that she hadn't completed lost her mind because of Percy. He did however still go to Diagon Alley on his birthday, it had been a while since he'd been there and the amount of people did scare him but he coped with it as Audrey let him hold her hand. It was just him and Audrey spending time together again which was worth it, he still didn't like his birthday but he was glad to not be just left alone for once._

_She got him a set of books that she thought he'd need for his learning along with a telescope and some neat protective dragon hide gloves, stocked up with two sets of phials - she let him pick the crystal ones - and a set of brass scales despite Roman being sure they still had some. She also insisted on getting him his very own cauldron for use to learn potion-making, however she refused to let him pick any of the ones he liked and instead chose a boring size two pewter one that every other child seemed to be getting. She also wanted to get him some new clothes, a random black pointed hat and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings despite the fact that it was still summer, saying it was never too soon to prepare. She also had him measured up but talked to the woman in private to order three sets of something, saying it was a surprise. Roman hoped they weren't black clothes, he preferred white or gray - or red if he was feeling colorful - as black seemed too dark._

_They took a break after that, Audrey let him have a big bowl of chocolate ice cream which was a rarity as things like that were bad for your health and teeth, he even got to try a milkshake. Audrey seemed quieter than normal but Roman didn't mind, he felt like he never got a chance to talk and was overjoyed that she was listening to him now. She also offered he could have an owl, cat or toad for a pet so he wouldn't feel so alone. First though was a wand, what Roman had been looking forward to most. He was disappointed to find the world-famous wand shop was actually rather dirty and drab place, they passed a boy around Roman's age who was bragging to his parents about how awesome a wizard he'd be with his new wand as they went in. Kids sucked.  
_

_As a result, the aged man behind the counter was just putting the apparently rejected wands away. Roman was annoyed at having to wait and went over to help to speed the process up, however as soon as he picked up the first wand he felt a rush of power flood through him and sparks of magical light danced up the length of it. That had never happened when he'd used any of his family's wands before._

_"I like this wand," Roman announced with an odd certainty, "It feels... right."_

_"I think it likes you too," the old man told him and Roman couldn't help but jump fearfully at being addressed by the stranger, "Unicorn Tail Hair, Acacia wood, eleven inches exactly. Will only produce magic for their owners, that would make you its owner now, boy."_

_"I'll take it," Roman grinned happily._

_He was in a good mood from getting his wand, he could actually defend himself if Percy tried to hurt him or Audrey instead of using a spoon and getting laughed at. The humiliation still stung. He tried to shake his head of it though as they headed to the menagerie, it was a chaotic mesh of cages but he supposed you couldn't expect much with animals. He was torn on what animal to get until he laid eyes on the most adorable thing he'd ever seen, a smoke colored ball of fur that was chasing its bushy tail. It paused to look at Roman with a pair of luminous blue eyes and he knew what he wanted. Less than ten minutes later, he was walking out with his new cat who he decided to call Smokey._

_The rest of the summer was a good one, he felt braver with his wand and less lonely with Smokey. He doted on Smokey, grooming him, petting him, cuddling him and rewarding him with treats just for being there. In return, Smokey liked to lie in the middle of the space he was using to play a game, lie on the book he was trying to read, leave fur everywhere and scratch his bedposts. But Roman didn't mind, he thought it was worth it to have something living who he could talk to and constantly cleaning fur was good practice with his wand since he spent a good deal of time practicing his magic to make up for Audrey not being able to give him as much time to teach as his parents had. She wasn't starting to teach him until after summer though, still he wanted to prove he was a fast learner and he didn't need Percy's stupid school to do well._

* * *

Scorpius tried asking Varanian for more information but he only got an unhelpful reply much later of 'trying to know more', he simply sighed and got dressed. Albus was actually up for once, from the tired look on his face, Scorpius didn't think he'd slept well. Michael had already before them as usual but they met up with him in the Great Hall as he and Mirra holding hands - his scarred one even - and exchanging a kiss before going to their separate tables, Scorpius was reminded of worrying if he was doing something wrong with Molly since they hadn't made out yet. He still needed to fill Michael in on what he'd learned as well, Albus' unusual insomnia had prevented him from getting to talk to Michael that night since they needed to be alone.

The girls weren't at breakfast yet although Maurice and Corin were, Corin looked a wreck. His usual neatness was gone, he was dressed as if he just pulled on anything without caring what he wore and his hair was a tangled greasy mess as if he hadn't washed it in a few days. He was picking at his food with an expression of misery, his eyes were all red and blotchy from crying too. Despite Michael's and Maurice's - and even Scorpius' - best attempts, he remained unhappy and refused to be coaxed into proper conversation. Albus didn't help but then he didn't help Corin, however he also didn't say anything negative.

"Well I'm done," Michael announced as he finished devouring his third plate straight of bacon and eggs, still without any sign of the girls, "I have to go to my counselling session now

Corin abruptly managed to start choking on the measly semi-full spoonfuls of porridge, Michael went to help but Corin only gestured wildly for them to look. They did so and Scorpius had to do a double take, for a second thinking that Abby had walked in with a different friend but it was Rose. The same old Rose, neatly dressed, freckles, blue eyes but gone was her bushy red hair. It was now dyed a bright shade of gold that was so dazzlingly fake that Scorpius was sure it was blinding people. Rose smiled and casually sat down with Abby - Abby sitting as far from Corin as possible while still being with them - while they just gawked, it was shockingly strange. What had possessed Rose to do something so utterly stupid? Abby looked embarrassed to just be around her, they threw her questioning looks and she just shrugged.

"Morning," Rose greeted them brightly as the girls started putting food on their plates.

"I have to go to my counselling session now," Michael repeated, also looking at Rose as if trying to decide if she'd gone mad, "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye," Scorpius offered as his friend left before turning to Rose, "Are you... feeling okay?"

"Great, why?" Rose asked sweetly and Scorpius glanced to Albus for help but he was still gawking at his cousin like she'd grown an extra head, a blond head. To his surprise, it was Maurice who asked what they were all thinking.

"What the fuck did you do to your hair?" Maurice demanded of her.

"I dyed it blond."

"I think he means _why_," Corin explained.

"Why do you think?"

"Insanity?" Albus guessed to which she scowled.

"No," Rose snapped testily, "You said Michael likes blondes when I asked what he saw in Mirra."

"I said _maybe_ and I wasn't even being serious!"

"You dyed your hair blond because of an offhand comment by Al?" Abby wondered.

"Yes," Rose protested as she folded her arms, "No one would fake date me to make him jealous."

"Michael's not that superficial," Scorpius pointed out as he shook his head, "Did you ever think maybe he likes Mirra because she's nice to him and doesn't care about his scars?"

"No, that's just stupid, it has to be something about how she looks. And now I'm blond too so I look more beautiful."

"You look like an idiot," Maurice complained irritably as he pushed away his empty plate, "You looked much better as a redhead."

* * *

_"Roman, we need to talk," Audrey told him on the last day of August just as he was getting into bed, she stood in the doorway with an unreadable expression, "It's about your education."_

_"It's okay, I understand," Roman offered brightly, "Your job is important to you and we need the money anyway so you can't teach me as much but I'm still looking forward to it, I'm going to try extra hard, I promise. I've been practicing and reading up and everything."_

_"Roman... Percy was right before."_

_"Right about what?" Roman wondered worriedly._

_"About Hogwarts," Audrey said and Roman felt the iron fist of dread grab his heart and drag it down further with every word, "It's not the same as when our parents were around and Percy was right about everything, I've thought about it a lot and... it's the best place for you."_

_"Aud, no," Roman pleaded, his eyes already welling with tears as he scrambled of bed to go to her, "The best place is for me to stay with you, don't send me away."_

_"Roman, it isn't a bad thing and it isn't forever. You don't like being left alone all the time and really... it's not right for me to leave you like that anyway."_

_"I'll never complain, Aud, I promise if you just let me stay. Please! Aud, please!" Roman begged and literally fell to his knees, "I'll be nice to Percy, I'll try not be scared of his family, I'll never complain, I'll never ask for anything else, just don't send me away. Aud, please."_

_"I've made up my mind, Roman, it's for the best."_

_"No, it's not!" Roman sobbed as the dread hand tore out his heart that his final sibling was getting rid of him, "Family is supposed to stick together, not throw each other away! Aubrey left and now you're leaving too."_

_"It's not like that! This is a good thing," Audrey insisted forcefully, "Hogwarts is something kids are supposed to look forward to, it'll be good from you to be around kids your own age and learn from professionals."_

_"I hate kids my own age! I don't care about learning from professionals!" Roman screamed through his tears as he jumped back to his feet and jabbed his finger accusingly at her, "And you're lying! This isn't even about that, Percy just wants me out of the way and so do you! You just don't want me! You're a terrible sister! Mom and Dad would never send me away! I hate you!"_

_"I'm not Mom and Dad! I'm just me! I'm only twenty years old! I never asked or ever expected to be responsible for you by myself, I'm just trying to do the best I can for the both of us! This has nothing to do with Percy, this has to do with Hogwarts being able to give you everything that I can't and much better at it than me!" Audrey yelled back and Roman just stood there shaking from his tears, he looked up when he felt Audrey's hand on his shoulder. When she continued it was in a gentler tone, "At the very least, just give it a try and we'll see how it goes, okay? If you still hate it after a few months then you can come home and we'll rethink things."_

_"Y-You p-pr-promise?" Roman whispered tearfully and she nodded as he hugged her.  
_


	25. IV: Weakness

_**Thanks to:** A Guest and CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey for reviewing!_

**_Did anyone even consider getting Roman a counselor when he was a kid?_**  
_No. They never seemed to have anything like that in the wizarding world or if they did it wasn't well known, Audrey was also raised in relative isolation (and they still are pretty isolated, Percy is the only person she's close to) so its not something she'd have heard of or something she'd understand (much like Scorpius and Atticus don't, seeing it as something for the weak-minded) even if it was suggested to her. She sees Roman's issues more as him being fault, being too sensitive/clingy/emotional/etc and expects him to grow out of it and behave better as he grows up_

**_Is Roman gonna get, like, psychiatric help at Hogwarts to help him with his people/abandonment issues?_**  
_No, does present-day Roman seem like someone who ever got psychiatric help? Like I said above, it doesn't seem like something common in the the wizarding world and in Roman's timeline its literally just a few months after Deathly Hallows ended (before it skipped to the epilogue) so I see it as kind of a new thing in the present, not something Hogwarts would have back then_

**_Is Wyatt(eek spelling) a good guy?_**  
_Yes, he was telling the truth to Varanian_

_**Author's Note:** I realize I should've put this last chapter but updates are still daily/every other day, the last only took so long because the website was giving me an error message when I tried to 'manage stories' (which you need to update) so I couldn't put up the next chapter. There's really nothing I can do when the website isn't working except to wait for it to be fixed so I do apologize for the delay _

* * *

_Roman didn't think he'd ever dreaded something so much in his life as he did going to Hogwarts, he saw no other way around it but to go to show that it was truly a terrible place. It didn't make him feel any better about it and he was scared of her going back on her word, just leaving him there on his own forever. At least he had Enas and Smokey. It was Percy's fault whatever she said, he'd just manipulated her into not even realizing that she was being turned against him. He didn't sleep at all that night after they packed up his trunk, he didn't get up until she came to wake him though and he couldn't bring himself to eat despite Audrey's attempts to get him too. And then Percy arrived, he would be there to see his evil plan come to fruition. How could Audrey possibly like someone who relished in an eleven-year-old's pain? What he ever done to Percy to deserve this?_

_"You're not bringing that silly old thing, are you?" Percy asked of him, gesturing to Enas. Roman hugged his stuffed unicorn tighter._

_"Of course," Roman confirmed._

_"Roman, you're too old for stuffed toys."_

_"No, I'm not. Enas is my friend and I love him and I need him since you're making Audrey send me away."_

_"Leave him be, Perce," Audrey sighed._

_"If he brings the unicorn, the other kids are going to make fun of him and he really will hate Hogwarts then," Percy explained in a hushed tone that Roman was still perfectly capable of hearing but it seemed to change Audrey's mind._

_"Maybe you should leave it, Roman."_

_"No!" Roman wailed and hugged Enas even closer, "I'm not going without him, I need him."_

_"It's only for a few months, you can have it back at Christmas break at the latest."_

_"No!"_

_"Roman, put it back or I'll take it back," Audrey growled warningly and Roman trudged to his room in misery, already crying again._

_"It's only f-for a little wh-while, Enas," Roman promised tearfully as he sat Enas on his neatly made bed, stroking its head gently as Enas looked at him with eyes full of betrayal, "D-Don't look at me like that, y-you know I d-don't have a choice, you kn-know I'd take you if I could or j-just stay. W-We both of us hav-have to be strong now, d-do you understand?"_

_Enas said nothing._

_"Y-You be good, Enas, and I-I'll b-be back as soon as I c-can w-with Sm-Smoke. You j-just stay h-here and gu-guard my room, okay? Y-You're the best," Roman told Enas and picked him up to hug him one last time, "D-Don't ever forget that. It's n-not g-goodbye, I'll see you soon. I pr-promise, I promise."_

_"Your brother has serious issues," Percy complained to his sister and Roman scowled angrily to see them waiting for him in the doorway, he angrily wiped his eyes and replaced Enas. He petted him a final time before following them out with a last lingering look. He hated everything about it._

_And then they were off, Percy insisted on putting Smokey in a cat carry box until the train so he couldn't even hug poor Smokey for comfort. Audrey did let him hold her hand though, leaving Percy stuck carrying everything. It was a good thing too because there was a terrifying amount of people at King's Cross, Roman had never been to a train station before and he'd be quite happy to never go to one again. At least he understood why Percy was there to lead the way, he and Audrey would never have thought of something as stupid as running through a wall to get to Platform Nine and Three Quarters._

_Roman didn't like trains either, the train segments didn't look very securely attached and envisioning them separating to leave him to die scared him so much Audrey complained of him squeezing her hand too tight. There was too many people on the magical side too, why did there have to be so many people? He clung to Audrey for dear life while Percy got his trunk on the train but continued to carry the cat so Roman could have it with him for the journey, he kept a tight hold of Audrey's hand and wished he'd never have to let go. They followed Percy again to where his family was, or some of them anyway. Percy had been jabbering on about it, his sister had her final year and his youngest brother was seeing off his girlfriend, Harry Potter was also there to see off Percy's sister and the Weasley parents were there to see their daughter off._

_"-Just have to let him sit with you for the train ride, maybe keep an eye out and that's all," Mrs Weasley was saying to her daughter before they saw them, Roman clung to his sister tighter._

_"Roman!" Audrey hissed and tried to detangle his hand until he lessened his grip slightly, "Stabbing nails painful in iron grip, geez."_

_"Looking forward to Hogwarts?" Mr Weasley asked him in a way that was probably an attempt to be friendly, Roman was too stunned by the ludicrousy of the question to answer, "It's okay to be nervous. Ginny here will look after you."_

_"And Hermione," Ginny added with a gesture to the bushy brown haired girl snogging Percy's brother, teenagers were weird and gross, clearly Hermione wasn't very clever._

_"You remember them, right? You met them before you freaked out," Audrey pointed out as if he'd forgotten and Roman nodded as he hung his head, his jaws clamming up around so many people._

_The group was talking for a while, he knew words were being said but he couldn't hear them. He could only hear his pounding heart beating away the seconds before it was time to leave, the whistle from the train marking it was time for people to get on board if they hadn't already. Roman threw his arms around his sister and buried his face in her chest, he knew he was crying again but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to go. Audrey hugged him back for a minute before having to pry his arms away, silent tears were streaming down his cheeks. Was he really that bad a person that he deserved to be sent so far away?_

* * *

Scorpius finished his food and also left, except he went to wait for Michael to finish with Leebin because he really wanted to tell him about the Ashain children's dreams and Varanian's messages. It dawned on him that standing there randomly might not be the best idea but he was eager to get Michael's opinion on the new development, an hour couldn't go by fast enough as he paced in boredom.

"Scor, what are you doing?" a voice wondered and Scorpius jumped as he noticed Professor Ashain, still not dressed in robes.

"Waiting for Michael to be done with Leebin," Scorpius answered truthfully, seeing no point in lying, "How's Antonius?"

"Still ill, been up all night," Professor Ashain pointed out unhappily, "That's where I'm going now, shortcut to the Hospital Wing to see if Marigold has anything else that can help. And thanks by the way, it was nice of you to do what you did."

"No problem," Scorpius shrugged it off awkwardly and scowled as the professor went to move by but what did he really have to lose? At worst Professor Ashain would just tell him nothing or know nothing, "Professor?"

"Yes?" Professor Ashain paused.

"I was just... well... Do you remember the Ministry attack last year? You know about how I was involved and what happened?"

"Yes," Professor Ashain admitted hesitantly, "What about it?"

"I kept having these dreams about ancient times that I couldn't remember much of after, all because I had contact with... the thing in question."

"I know... Are you having them again?"

"No. But your children are by the sound of it," Scorpius explained, "I don't know where the thing is but it's probably not very safe if they can get to it."

"You don't need to have contact with it to have those dreams, my best guess is some people are more sensitive to whatever causes it for whatever reason. I know about their dreams, I'm keeping an eye on it but it doesn't seem to be harmful," Professor Ashain pointed out, "It's impossible for them to have contact with it too, the thing is quite safe and so are they."

"It's here though, isn't it? Hidden somewhere in the castle?" Scorpius decided to risk in a whisper, the professor swallowed nervously and crossed the distance between them.

"Scorpius, wherever it is, it is safe," Professor Ashain told him in a very serious tone, "It's best not to worry about it. Or to talk about it. It's not your responsibility. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Scorpius shrugged, he'd been hoping for more, "How do you know you don't need to have contact with it to have those dreams? How can you be sure?"

"Because... It happened to me so I can assure you better than anyone it's possible."

"You have the dreams too?"

"Not now but last year I did so I know it's possible and without anything bad. Satisfied now?"

Scorpius nodded, feeling much better about the dreams although still wishing he could've gotten more on the Scepter's location. Still, it was better than nothing and the professor bade him goodbye as he left to take that shortcut. If it happened to Professor Ashain without touching it then it made more sense, it could be because they were related they were more sensitive to it. Although in that case, it was strange that he wasn't getting them while his children did or maybe not since the professor was taking something to help him sleep that could be blocking the dreams. And even if they hadn't had contact, it did seem to confirm the Scepter was inside the castle like Varanian thought as they'd have to be near it at some point to get them. The dreams themselves were still strange though, what purpose had they?

"Scorpius? I thought your session wasn't until this afternoon?" Michael wondered and Scorpius was drawn from his thoughts to realize Michael had just left Leebin's room.

"It is, I was just waiting for you," Scorpius explained and took him to an unused classroom to finally fill him in, "So what do you think?"

"I think the Scepter's probably in the school and Ashain's probably right about some people more susceptible to whatever makes the Scepter show those dreams, since the kids are related to Ashain then it's probably genetic in their case. We don't know enough, in fact, we don't know _anything_ about what causes the dreams to take attempt a guess why but it doesn't seem to do anything bad. It's just weird."

"That's it? No ideas on how to find it or how we're supposed to guard it."

"How am I..." Michael began before trailing off and looking thoughtful, "The Chamber of Secrets."

"I thought of that too, it could be where they did it."

"Yeah and it would explain why Ashain goes there every night, he's probably guarding it."

"Wait, what?" Scorpius wondered in confusion.

"The glitch I mentioned before on the map? Every night Ashain goes to that bathroom where the entrance is and stays there as far as I can tell until morning, except the other night when he wasn't there."

"He couldn't be going there every night or he'd be exhausted, he seems in pretty good health."

"They probably take it in turns and the map's still having issues, maybe because of how the chamber isn't on the map or because they put up protection?" Michael offered.

Scorpius thought that made sense although it brought to mind something else he'd been trying to forget, he'd dismissed Professor Ashain being possessed as a dream but if Michael said he'd been there too... Possession probably would also account for why the professor wasn't tired, maybe they could control him while he slept? He didn't realize it because he was asleep and didn't seem tired because he was getting the sleep he needed. It made sense the Shadows would know about it since Varanian had most likely heard it from them, it would also explain Varanian's concern for it being stolen. Still though, he didn't want to humiliate himself again nor do anything to hurt Professor Ashain. Especially when it could still have been a dream.

"It's a full moon tomorrow night, isn't it?" Scorpius asked of Michael, almost regretting the way it made Michael's face fall but it was for a good reason. Michael nodded, "Could I borrow the map again?"

"Sure," Michael agreed in a sigh and headed to the door, "And that reminds me, I have to go drink my poison. I'll see you later."

Scorpius nodded in understanding and offered a wave. At least he had a plan, if he could confirm that Professor Ashain was there again and possessed then he'd know it was real. If Professor Ashain was there at all then he'd just cast a Patronus before the Shadow had a chance to make him think it was a dream again or hurt the professor, or the professor wasn't there and Michael was right about the map just being erroneous. The map was impressive but not perfect, it still didn't show Calderon after all.

Scorpius headed out himself, there was still plenty of time to kill before his own counselling session. He passed Professor Ashain returning with the vial of potion for his son, Scorpius did actually think he preferred it being a dream. He didn't want anything bad to happen to his favorite professor, those poor kids would have no one as well. He was on his way back to his dormitory when he noticed Latimer leaving Chastity Prinkett's room, clearly having had another awful 'counselling' session. He thought it'd been worse though, Latimer looked on the verge of tears. Scorpius felt guilty despite himself.

"Hey Latimer?" Scorpius called out and hurried to catch up to him, Latimer moved fast for a someone with a limp.

"What?" Latimer demanded, barely managing to stop the cracks from showing in his voice.

"Um... I... Are... Are you okay?" Scorpius asked stupidly, realizing pretty much anything would've been more comforting and helpful than that.

"Not now," Latimer complained, also seeming to see how useful Scorpius was and starting to carry on at his fast pace.

"Don't let her to get to you, she's just a horrible person," Scorpius offered instead as he struggled to keep up again, "And you're not, whatever she says. You're a good person and friend, don't let her get you down or any of them."

"Really?" Latimer scoffed dubiously, "I thought I was just 'Molly's friend' not yours."

"What?" Scorpius wondered in confusion.

"I just want to be alone right now," Latimer insisted as he picked up the pace again and left Scorpius behind to puzzle over his words, what had he meant by that?

* * *

_"I'll see you in a few months," Audrey promised and Percy handed him the cat carry case as he wiped his eyes fiercely, Roman was shaking so much he could feel his knees knocking together although his feet remained glued to the ground. He couldn't say anything, if he did it would be a garbled sob anyway._

_"This way," Ginny offered and took his arm to lead him to the train, he gripped onto her tightly in terror and allowed himself to be led into the metal death tube. People were squished in like sardines and it was so loud, so many voices. He clutched Ginny tighter and buried his face fearfully in her arm, she led him into an empty quieter compartment, "You can let go now."_

_Roman leaped away as if burned and squashed himself into the corner by the window, Ginny was frowning at her arm that had droplets of blood oozing from where Roman's nails had inadvertently broken the skin. She said as much - was that all Weasleys cared about? It wasn't like he did it on purpose - but Hermione offered to heal it as she withdrew her wand. Roman took Smokey out of the case and cuddled him close as he risked a glance out of the window, the train already pulling away from the station. He stroked Smokey fearfully, still unable to stop himself shaking while the girls talked. He missed Enas._

_"And who's this?" a different voice asked in a distant, dreamy voice._

_Roman was jolted from his thoughts, glancing up to realize a third girl had joined them. She had straggly long dirty blond hair and luminous silver eyes, she had her wand tucked behind her left ear and an easy smile on her face. For some reason, Roman found his heart beating even more bizarrely. He opened his mouth to try answer that he was Roman but words refused to come out, he couldn't even blink._

_"He's Roman," Ginny answered for him and the spell was broken as the girl looked to Ginny, Roman hung his head to hide the blush on his cheeks, "Percy's girlfriend's little brother, it's his First Year and he's a little nervous and quite shy."_

_"Nice to meet you, Roman, I'm Luna," the girl introduced herself and Roman risked raising his head an inch to look at her, his eyes were drawn to her as she reached forward to scratch Smokey's ears. Smokey vocalized his approval and Luna smiled, "Nice cat you have there, what's his name?"_

_"S-S-S-Sm-Sm-oke-oke-key," Roman managed to stutter out in a voice he could barely hear, his face flushed in embarrassment but miraculously Luna seemed to have heard._

_"Hello Smokey," Luna greeted the cat before leaning back in her seat, Roman hung his head to hide the smile that crept on to his face. He liked her._

_Roman spent most of the journey with his eyes firmly on Smokey, half-listening to the girls' conversation but always listening to Luna. They didn't speak to him much and he relaxed slightly, if they did engage him in conversation it was usually to tell him about Hogwarts. They told him about the four houses, he'd known Slytherin was the house of evil Death Eaters and Gryffindor was Percy's house but there was also Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw - Luna's house - and he'd be sorted when he got there. He did panic when a random person came in selling sweets but thankfully she wasn't there long and didn't actually come in to the compartment, Roman had nothing. It was far too soon to have another treat after the ice cream on his birthday, plus he'd have to tell her what he wanted and he really struggled with speaking around strangers. He confined his answers to the girls in mostly nods or shaking his head, when he did speak it was a stuttering mumble. It was a long journey and Smokey had long since fallen asleep on his lap by the time they arrived, he had to leave Smokey to be brought inside and felt the panic bubbling up inside from being in the crowd again._

_"Okay, Roman, we have to go a separate way to you now," Ginny told him as they got onto the platform and his heart started thundering in terror again, the other two girls said something about getting a carriage and left. Ginny pointed to a massive figure that towered over even the eldest students like a mountain. His voice was booming intelligibly as he waved a lantern about, making his black eyes glitter creepily in the darkness, "You need to go with him."_

_Roman whimpered fearfully at the thought of going with the looming figure and clutched onto Ginny's arm again, he'd much rather go with the girls than the scary figure of nightmares. She gave an exasperated grunt and half-led, half-dragged him over to the giant. He was even bigger up close and Roman was shaking again as he tried to hide behind Ginny, the giant smiled down at them maliciously. Roman swallowed and cowered back in terror, wondering how many students the giant had eaten._

_"Roman, this is Hagrid, a good friend of ours," Ginny introduced the giant who apparently had a name, "Hagrid, this is Roman, Percy's girlfriend's brother. Hagrid takes the First Years to the castle, he's really nice and he'll take good care of you. Now let go, your nails are stabbing my arm again."_

_Why was everyone always leaving him alone with scary people who wanted him dead? Ginny wrenched her arm free and left him there with the giant. Roman missed Enas, then at least he wouldn't die alone. Hagrid was speaking to him but Roman didn't speak giant or maybe his accent was just so difficult, he got the impression it was something reassuring though. Trying to relax his prey before he killed them to lessen the risk of them trying to run. And even worse was the crowd of gathering First Years, vicious looking kids all dressed in black like Death Eaters and surrounding him so much that Roman felt smothered._

* * *

"One?" Jack croaked weakly into the night as he forced his body into a sitting position, dragging himself up against the wall. His body felt like it was eating itself alive, it only got worse and nothing he did helped, "I know you're listening."

_Do you give up?_ One's voice asked in his mind.

"I'm not killing a random person," Jack affirmed as he ran a hand through his hair nervously, "But isn't there something else I can do? I can't live like this."

_You need someone to pain, I suggest killing because the agony someone feels as their soul is destroyed is the worst pain imaginable. However, we're already so weak that we need to do that_

"I won't."

_It doesn't need to be a random person though. It could be anyone, a criminal maybe or... or someone you hate_

"I don't want to kill."

_Is there no one you can think of that you hate to the point of wishing death upon them?_

Bob's name came to mind before he could stop it but why should he stop it? He felt hatred burn in his heart, Bob had hurt his son and his... Crystal. If anyone deserved to die then it was him. Jack felt his lips curl into a smile despite feeling only anger and hatred.

_Bob it is_

"I don't know where he is or how to get to him though," Jack pointed out, not sure whether he hoped that One knew or that he didn't.

_But I do and we're one entity now, shadows can teleport anywhere where there are shadows. Either to the same place as one of our kind if we communicate or anywhere where there is shadow if we know it's there and have been there before. And I happen to have looked up where Bob resides these days before merging with you_

"I had the power to teleport this whole time and you're only telling me this now?!"

_I told you that merging left me weak, all you did was nothing while I had to put every fiber of everything I had into this! Everything!_

"So what do I do?" Jack grumbled to the testy Shadow.

_Well standing would be a good start_, One pointed out and Jack made his starved body obey before finding images of a shadowy cell room with black walls flashing in his mind,_ That's the location where Bob is. You need to focus on that and will yourself to that location, just focus on that cell and wanting to be there_

"Then what?" Jack wondered as he closed his eyes to think of the cell and wanting to be there.

_Then I do it too and we should be there_

Jack focused and felt a tingling sensation through his body, followed by the same cold flooding through his body as when One would possess him. Only this time, it didn't just seem to immerse him inside but outside and he felt almost like he was being pulled along by the current. The ground seemed to move and Jack opened his eyes in surprise, finding he was no longer in his living room. He was in the dark cell.

"What the fuck?" a voice wondered and Jack at glanced at a surprised Bob sitting up in surprise, his aura was black. Jack clenched his fists in anger, fury at Bob for hurting his family engulfing him worse than the feeling of gold, "What are you doing here? How did you even get here?"

"What now, One?" Jack demanded.

_Hold out your hand and will him to suffer. Destroy his soul_

Jack raised his arm out to Bob with his palm first, feeling rather foolish but he focused on wishing Bob to suffer like he'd made his family suffer. A shadowy light seemed to shoot out from his palm and strike Bob, his fat body convulsing and contorting as he screamed. And Jack felt it, his own pain stopped and strength soared inside of him, invigorating energy coursing through every fiber of his being.

Power. He felt powerful, he couldn't even hear Bob screaming anymore over his power. He felt like he could do anything, take on any challenge and he would win. How could not with this power inside his veins? Filling him completely and energizing him, there was a final powerful jolt and Jack laughed in delight, his body shaking from him laughing so hard. And then it was gone.

He still felt strong but it destroying all sense of thought, he also wasn't getting any stronger. He looked down and realized that Bob no longer had an aura, in fact he was no longer breathing. His eyes stared sightlessly up at him and devoid of their usual blue color. Bob was gone. He'd just killed a man, or whatever excuse for a man that Bob had been. And so what? Bob deserved to be dead for what he'd done. He closed his eyes and thought of his living room, he felt the same sensation of being pulled by the current and he was home.

"_I don't know about you but I feel much better_," One commented and it took Jack a second to realize that his own lips had spoken, "_You really don't get this whole merging soul thing, do you? We're the same being, what's yours is mine and what's mine is yours. I just lacked the strength before to do anything but now I don't, we share the body_."

"I don't like you speaking with my mouth," Jack complained, surprise and relieved to hear his own voice spoken by his own will.

_"Don't be a body-hog, Jack, I've never had a physical body before and I'm quite looking forward to experiencing life with it. Don't you think this is cool? I've never truly gotten to speak aloud before. This will be fun."_

* * *

_The group started off and he clung by Hagrid's side, if only for the light because naturally he was leading them down a scary dark path. He wondered which was worse, being brutalized and eaten alive by the giant or viciously torn about by the crowd. This had been Percy's plan all along, convince Audrey to send him to the Weasley's giant friend to take care of him permanently. Then Roman would be out of the way and he'd be free to torture Audrey to death because clearly Percy liked hurting people and was evil. Hagrid brought them to a lake with boats, it was just a pool of blackness. Roman wondered if it was tainted black by the blood of victims, he choked on a sob as Hagrid told them to climb into the boats. Was he planning on drowning them too? Roman couldn't swim. He was the last into the boats, Hagrid helping him in to his death._

_Roman gripped onto the sides for dear life and squeezed his eyes shut as the boats started to move by themselves, he wasn't aware of anything else but the nauseating rocking of the boat as it bobbed across the water. He hated boats. It was a battle not to throw up and he was suddenly infinitely glad for not eating or it would've made the journey even harder. The girls had commented on the beauty of the castle but Roman couldn't risk opening his eyes, just imagining himself trapped in the middle of the lake was enough to make himself have to force down bile. Eventually though, the giant was prying his hands off the boat and helping him onto solid land. His legs were wobbling so much that he practically collapsed to his knees, Hagrid had to help him up again while plenty of people snickered._

_Roman definitely wanted to go home now, how could anyone possibly think this was good? Roman was sure his heart was bruised by his ribs from pounding so forcefully against the inside of his chest, he was still shaking as he continued along with the rest of the group to the castle. In contrast to Hagrid, the person who opened the door was short, shorter than even the smallest little girl in the crowd. Roman was starting to wonder if Hogwarts actually employed anyone who was a pureblooded human. Hagrid abandoned him then too, at least he hadn't eaten him. Yet. The goblin - Roman was sure there was a dash of goblin ancestry in there somewhere - introduced himself as Professor Flitwick, he led them through the castle and gave a squeaky speech about the houses being like family, blah, blah, blah._

_Roman didn't listen or care, he wasn't going to be there long anyway and if houses really were like family then they'd just abandon him too. And then Flitwick left them too! Why was everyone always leaving?! He hadn't been gone a minute when ghosts floated through the doors and Roman jumped so much in panic that he slammed his arm painfully into a wall, which earned him more laughter. He felt his breathing start to come too fast again in panic, he tried taking deep breaths and counting to ten under his breath to try keep his mind off everything terrifying him. He didn't notice they'd been called back in until he realized he was alone and little Flitwick was calling out to him to follow, he obeyed and stopped clutching his chest._

_He couldn't help but he awestruck by the Great Hall, the array of floating candles was incredible to see and the stars in the bewitched ceiling were beautiful. It reminded him of his home, his true home where he'd lived with his parents when you could see all the stars at night. Not like the city when they were all hidden away. He didn't even notice the sheer amount of people or the singing hat as he just gazed up at the ceiling wistfully, there was nothing he wouldn't give or wouldn't do to be back there with his parents being alive and his siblings not abandoned him. Wishes were like the stars, Magnus had once said, so beautifully within sight yet so impossibly far away. Despite the crowd, he felt very much like he was the only person in the room._

_The Sorting began, a name was called and the person would go to the stool to put the battered old hat on their head, the hat then shouted the decided house after a few seconds or minutes and the student joined the table that cheered. Simple enough. Roman didn't give it much thought or care at the time, still feeling his heart ache for his family. He wasn't even listening, he just stood at the back apart from the others with his head hung low. It hadn't registered that he too would go through it._

_"Rivers, Roman!" Flitwick squeaked, reading from a parchment longer than he was._

_Roman yelped in surprise as he jumped back, eyes turning to him as his insides turned to ice. His heart exploded into a thunderous beating and his whole body started shuddering under the sea of eyes. The other First Years parted to let him walk through, he walked on rubber legs to the stool. Very aware that everyone was looking at him, his body trembled violently against his will as he jammed the hat down on his head. He squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to see the others, he hoped it'd be a quick decision._

_"What do we have here? Hmm interesting," a voice mused in his mind and Roman managed to jump fearfully despite being on a stool, his heart beating even faster in his fear. Of course the hat could talk, why would it surprise him?_

_"Just hurry up," Roman begged, desperate to be out of the spotlight._

_"Not particularly patient, are we? A more complicated mind requires more complicated thought. You do have courage somewhere though but I don't think you'd do well in Gryffindor or even Hufflepuff. You have a brilliant mind though, what do you think? I'm on the fence as I think there's two houses that you would do well in, Ravenclaw or-"_

_"I don't care, just pick one!" Roman demanded, seconds feeling like lifetimes too long for people to look at him._

_"Well if you insist, it better be... SLYTHERIN!"_

_It was too much for Roman. He'd tried to cope, tried to deal with the nightmare his sister had abandoned him into but it was the last straw. To be put into the house of evil. He couldn't. His battered heart seized up as he stood, removing the hat and dropping it because his fingers were shaking so badly. His whole body was quivering uncontrollably while his feet refused to move, even to get out of the stares of a thousand eyes stabbing him from all directions. His lungs wouldn't let him breathe and he was grateful for the oblivion as his body crumpled to the ground, pulling him into the safety of his mind._


	26. IV: Confrontation

_**Thanks to:** Guest Reviewer, Lucifersdaughter and A Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Well then Roman why didn't you say Ravenclaw then?_**  
_He wasn't really listening to the hat, he just wanted it to be over and only realized too late about the houses_

**_Does Jack/One need to always destroy souls to survive or is simple pain enough in "normal" circumstances?_**  
_They'll always need to destroy souls, since they're merged there's more to sustain so they need more pain to survive than One needed to survive alone. Although 'normal' pain would help stave off the pain-hunger for awhile, ultimately though they'll need more souls_

**_How is Jack going to hide this from her (Annie)?_**  
_He and One will just have to work it out. You'll find out soon, Annie gets out in November and this is the last chapter of October so its really not long  
_

* * *

Scorpius decided that Latimer's odd phrasing had to be because of that Chastity woman upsetting him, he couldn't think of anything he'd done anyway although it couldn't hurt to ask Molly. He grabbed his things from the dormitory and headed down to the Library, he had a Transfiguration essay to do for Midas and still plenty of time to kill before his counselling session. It was an unusual study session due to Abby and Corin's breakup, the pair didn't want to sit together so his Third Year friends had their own table away from his Fourth Years friends. Minus Michael, who wasn't even there. Scorpius respected his friends' wishes but he hoped it wasn't permanent, due to the different years he didn't see the Third Years as much and due to the house difference, he saw the Hufflepuffs even less. Rose's blond hair was also weird.

Eventually he headed down to Leebin, slightly nervous considering Latimer's frame of mind but Leebin still seemed pleasant and still had on his werewolf bracelet. He didn't have his notebook out at all and had the chessboard set up already, a muggle one this time with pieces so chipped they were barely recognizable. Scorpius relaxed greatly, Leebin seemed to have realized how pointless counselling was or maybe just that Scorpius wasn't as weak as he'd thought. Leebin still talked with him conversationally about his classes and Quidditch mostly, also crossing over to talking about his friends and family, Scorpius was more cautious about what he said here but he didn't see the harm if he was careful. He was almost enjoying himself, Leebin wasn't any better or any worse at muggle chess so Scorpius was winning frequently with enough effort for it to be interesting.

"Checkmate," Scorpius announced brightly once again, Leebin flicked down his King in defeat again and Scorpius started setting the board up for another game before wondering whether he actually time for one since they only had an hour, "Do we have time?"

"Depends on how fast you beat me," Leebin shrugged and started helping him set up the board which took longer than with Wizard's Chess.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did you go with muggle chess instead of our kind? It's faster to set up."

"Ah but having to command your pieces and them speaking to you detracts from the conversation somewhat."

"The conversation doesn't matter since you've given up on getting information out of me," Scorpius pointed out and Leebin raised an eyebrow.

"You think I've given up on helping you? Or just given up on me being some kind of spy?" Leebin wondered as Scorpius made his opening move.

"Both? Well you can hardly learn anything important about me from just playing chess," Scorpius insisted as Leebin also made his first move and they continued the game.

"Quite the contrary."

"Like what?" Scorpius demanded with a scowl.

"Well... You don't like to lose."

"Who does? Check."

"Fair point. But you like to win, you like to succeed for slightly different reasons," Leebin told him as he freed himself from being in check, "For example classes, you're frequently amongst the best in your class but you don't work hard because you're desperate for good grades, or because you need good marks for career ambitions, or because you want to impress your teachers, or because you like bragging. You like to succeed simply because it makes you feel capable and strong, failure makes you feel weak and you never want to feel weak again. Would you say that's accurate?"

"No," Scorpius scoffed, not wanting Leebin to be right and in truth he'd never thought about it before, "I'm pretty sure that's not true."

"So you don't mind feeling weak sometimes?"

"Who likes feeling weak? And I'm not weak anymore. Like you say, I'm good in my classes, I've never lost a match and I've done plenty of other difficult things. I'm not weak and you're wrong."

"Checkmate," Leebin pointed out and Scorpius realized he'd been too flustered to think straight, he'd stupidly got his King trapped, "Let me ask you something. You get wounded in a terrible event, it may heal on its own or leave a nasty scar but it could also have unforeseen internal damage. What do we know? We're not healers. Is it weak or wrong or bad or in any way negative to go to a healer for help just to be on the safe side? Especially if the injury is more severe, isn't it better to get professional help?"

"Of course it's okay to go to a healer," Scorpius told him in confusion to where this was going.

"Exactly, it's logical, right?" Leebin asked of him and Scorpius nodded, "So is it really so hard to accept that these counselling sessions are like that except to help with mental wounds? It's natural for something traumatic to effect you and wound you, it may heal on its own or leave a nasty scar but it could also have unforeseen damage to fester later. Is it really not better to get help just to be on the safe side? How does it make you weak? Especially if someone's been through as much as you have."

"I..." Scorpius trailed off, really not sure what to say to that.

"Our time is up now anyway, I just want you to think about it for next time. That's how I think of counselling."

* * *

_Roman had hoped it was just a nightmare until he realized he wasn't in his bedroom but the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts, he quickly changed his mind that it wasn't a nightmare. He'd straight out been murdered and was in hell. The dormitory could only be reached through a terrifying trek through a dark dungeon where he felt the walls were closing in on him, the dormitory itself gave you a brilliant view of the lake underwater. It gave Roman horrific nightmares about the water breaking through and drowning him, the eerie greenish glow also made him nauseous. He cried himself to sleep at night, it was the only way he actually could sleep with his fears and worries chasing around his mind. They frequently manifested as tormenting nightmares though._

_"Hey," he'd greeted Ginny the first morning and tried to sit with her, this had elicited a chorus of booing and Ginny had taken him to one side as he quailed in terror._

_"You're a Slytherin, you can't just come over here," Ginny complained and pointed out the house of evil, "You need to sit with your own house, get to know your new classmates and make some friends."_

_"I shall not befriend evil," Roman spat in a rare moment of strength._

_"Not everyone in Slytherin is evil."_

_"Everyone except me. The hat made a mistake, it was supposed to put me in Ravenclaw," Roman pointed out, he was sure the Hat had said something about Ravenclaw._

_"Well it must've changed its mind because it gave you Slytherin, now come on. They can't all be bad, go and make some friends."_

_"Can't I stay with you?"_

_"No, it's the rules. Now go before you miss all the food," Ginny ushered him away._

_Roman stalked sulkily over to the Slytherin table, Ginny was clearly just as evil as her brother. Abandoning him to the house of evil like that, turning her back on him when she was supposed to look out for him. Why was everyone always doing that? He sat down at the table, eying his new classmates loathingly. He shoved his plate aside, the delicious smell making him nauseous._

_"Hi, Roman, right?" a voice greeted him with a yellow-toothed smile, a boy his own age with scruffy blond hair who offered his hand. Roman neither took it nor said anything, wondering if the boy was related to any of his parents killers, "I'm Willis Dawson, reckon we Slytherins should stick together."_

_"No!" Roman yelled at him as fury flooded his blood and replaced his usual fear, how dare they try to indoctrinate him into their evil Death Eater ways?! He'd seen his parents die by their hand! "And all of you people stay away from me, I'm nothing like you, I'm not evil! Those Death Eater relatives of yours are either rotting in a hole in the ground or rotting in a hole in Azkaban and they belong there, so do all of you! But I don't because I'm not related to evil people, nor do I have desire to join your filthy black-clad club of monsters so stay away from me, you pieces of decaying dirt! I hate you all!"_

_Roman didn't regret what he said, just because he'd been in Slytherin didn't mean he was going to succumb to the darkness festering in their cruel little black hearts. However, he did have to live with the consequences of insulting psychopaths. He essentially became the most hated person in Slytherin but his righteous anger gave him strength to stand through the insults and outbursts, he was knocked into, insulted and even spat on all before his very first class. And it only got worse from there._

_He wasn't the only one who'd lost people in the war or the only one angry, Slytherin was well known as the evil house because of the Death Eaters and cowards because of the Battle of Hogwarts. Aside from his own house hating him, he was also picked on by the others. In his own year and older students, he was insulted, beaten, had spells cast on him, mocked, spat on. Pointing out that he wasn't like the other Slytherins didn't help, his tormentors didn't care even though and he couldn't even fight back because they said it only confirmed he was bad. People were cruel and the whole world was against him._

_Classes themselves were awful. Charms, Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts were more about practical spellwork, all of which he'd learned years ago so the written element was all he had to do. It still left him with plenty of spare time to be bored in. Potions and Flying were terrifying, Potions was down in the dungeons that scared him so much that he couldn't concentrate through his fear and Flying was self-explanatory. It was leaving solid ground, he had a panic attack just from kicking off with the last thing he remembered was screaming in terror in his first lesson._

_It was months before he got used to hovering without panicking and Hooch let him do the exercises from there instead of high up like the others with the ominous 'for now' every time. History of Magic was so disappointing that he left the class in tears for the first time, he absolutely loved history and it was deeply upsetting to see his favorite subject reduced to a monotonous droning spiel. Binns was an insult, destroying everything Roman loved about his favorite subject at home and leaving it barely a shell of what it could be. Herbology was also taught in a boring theoretical way but some of the facts could be interesting sometimes which left Astronomy as the only subject that he really liked. The teachers all scared him though anyway._

_Roman was miserable, he felt as if he was trapped in a never-ending nightmare of boredom, bullying, loneliness and fear. He was so anxious, his heart physically hurt from beating so frantically at so many things terrifying him and he was never not on edge. Even Audrey not being around much was so much better than Hogwarts, Smokey was all he had and cuddling his cat was the only thing that brought him comfort. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through it without Smokey. Himself and Smokey were the only ones who he could talk to, he wrote to Audrey every day but it wasn't the same. He couldn't even be honest with her, he was too ashamed to talk about the bullying and he knew she wouldn't understand about his fears so it limited what he could mention. Even on his other issues, she insisted he not be overconfident and study hard, also saying he just wasn't trying hard enough at making friends if he was lonely. He begged her to let him come home but she kept saying to give it another week, then another month, then wait until Christmas. Even when he'd be allowed to come home, Percy had to go and ruin it since he got a letter the end of November saying Audrey had him had moved in together. Percy was now permanently living with them either way._

* * *

Scorpius still wasn't sure what to make of what Leebin said, on one hand it made sense but on the other, Leebin could just be trying to manipulate him for information. He had bigger things to worry about anyway, namely if his favorite professor was being possessed by Shadows or not. The day after that was both Halloween and the full moon, meaning he had his chance.

Michael was especially bad from the full moon already, he could barely keep his eyes open and Professor Ashain sat him out of the practical spellwork. He was wiped by lunch time and even fell asleep on Scorpius' shoulder during Charms just after which resulted in Grant asking - Grant was still sucking up to Professor Ashain apparently - him to take Michael to the Hospital Wing.

"I don't want to," Michael insisted stubbornly as he seemed to bite down a yawn and cross his arms, "I want to stay. I can handle it."

"You fell _asleep_," Grant pointed out and for once, Scorpius was agreed with him, "There's no point straining yourself, your health comes first so go rest up."

"I'm good. I don't need to go."

"You don't even like this class, just get some rest," Scorpius offered quietly but he got the impression Grant still heard him from the glance he got.

"Whose side are you on?" Michael demanded of him with a flash of anger in his mismatched eyes.

"Yours!"

"I'm fine. I want to stay."

"Mate, a breeze could take you down right now," Albus added which also earned him a dark look, "Get some rest and you can be bored in classes some other day."

"I'm fine! I can handle it, one little nap and you're all against me. I want to stay like everyone else who's normal."

"You're not normal," Grant told him and Michael's eyes flashed with frustration.

Abruptly, every desk in the room lurched upwards explosively while Grant was tossed back and crashed into his own desk. The desks dropped down abruptly as Michael started to collapse but Scorpius caught him, instead Michael just sat there breathing heavily with his hand to his head. At least none of the desks had hit anyone though, although people still scared and threw accusing looks at Scorpius. Given his track record, Scorpius wasn't surprised and he didn't mind letting them believe he'd caused it instead of Michael. Grant got to his feet, brushing himself off and cringing from probable bruises.

"M-Maybe I should go," Michael muttered weakly.

Grant gestured for Scorpius to take him but nothing on the incident or who had caused it, Scorpius was more than happy to leave. Scorpius obeyed, Michael needed to lean heavily on him for support. Using magic like that had probably sapped whatever strength he had.

"What were you thinking?" Scorpius asked of Michael as they made their awkwardly slow progress.

"It was an accident," Michael pointed out, looking so guilty that Scorpius regretted asking, "I didn't... I didn't mean to. You know I'd never hurt anyone on purpose."

"No one did seem hurt. Unless you count Grant. Which I don't, not after he tortured Professor Ashain," Scorpius told him, going off into a tangent slightly more than he'd meant to, "Don't feel bad, it happens to all. I meant, what was with you refusing to go to the Hospital Wing?"

"It's just frustrating, Scorpius," Michael sighed weakly looking upset as they reached their destination, Scorpius started helping him to a bed, "I never wanted to be this way."

"I know but just hang in there, after tonight you won't have to deal with it for another month," Scorpius offered, knowing it was futile in being comforting even before Michael hung his head.

"Except the two painful transformations, a night of frustration and days of being drained by it."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius muttered unhappily, wishing he could do more.

"It's okay, not your fault," Michael said and withdrew his wallet, opening it and pulling out a blank piece of parchment that looked too big to fit. He put his wallet back and handed Scorpius the paper, "There's the map you wanted. See you at the sunrise."

"What?"

"Something Orous' Dad says. Seems apt considering."

"See you at the sunrise then," Scorpius offered and left with the map as Marigold came over to see to Michael.

* * *

_Roman was grateful that the term of terror was almost over, just a handful more days until he'd be away from Hogwarts for once and for all. He was so glad that he was even willing to overlook that he'd be going back to a different home than he'd left - he hadn't liked the apartment but it was something familiar to cling to at least - and that Percy would be there. He would be gone from his nightmare and he was never coming back to the stone walls of his prison, nothing could stop him._

_"Hey scumbag! Where are you going, Slytherin?" an older student taunted as he was on his way to lunch, people liked making fun of him for just about everything else about himself. Roman had never thought he was perfect but they had found scores of flaws that he hadn't even realized he had. He just kept walking with his head hung low with his books clutched tightly to his chest protectively, hoping the boy would just ignore him. They never did, "Hey, I'm talking to you!"_

_Roman felt something snag his ankles and in one smooth motion, he was falling flat on his face. He whimpered in pain and just had to hold onto his books as he was dragged backward across on the ground while still on his stomach. He was stopped and abruptly hauled to his feel so fast he felt sick, he looked up at the boy fearfully, a Fifth Year Gryffindor. He muttered a spell and Roman's books abruptly smacked him in the face, he fell to the ground and clutched his now throbbing nose as the boy laughed._

_"Not even your books like to be in your hands!" the boy taunted and raised his wand again but it flew majestically from his hand._

_"Leave him alone!" a familiar voice snapped and Roman glanced to see his savior was Ginny, along with Hermione and Luna. Roman felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment, for some reason he really didn't like the thought of Luna seeing him weak and in need of saving. And his nose was bleeding, "Go pick on someone your own size! Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself! He's an eleven years old kid!"_

_"He's a Slytherin, they're bad."_

_"So what?! He's still a child and you're a teenager, what is wrong with you!? If you're picking on children who can't even fight back then you're the bad one in that scenario, regardless of the house!" Ginny barked, "Now scram unless you want to find out what it feels like to be picked on by someone older than you, you has a superior knowledge of spells and a superior experience!"_

_"Why did you do that? I was going to give him a detention," Hermione complained as the boy ran, the girls came over to Roman. He scrambled desperately to his feet, trying to pick up his books and clutch his nose to stop the bleeding at the same time with awkward results that dripped blood on his oddly angled books._

_"Are you alright, Roman?" Luna asked him in that dreamy voice that made his insides twist even more at her seeing him humiliated, tears pricked his eyes._

_"I'm fine!" Roman tried to shout at the three girls but his voice came out cracked from trying not to cry and fear for speaking in front of three people, "I could've t-taken him on, I didn't need your help! I d-don't need your help, I can take c-care of myself!"_

_He fled before he could make a fool out of himself even more, diving into the nearest boy's bathroom that he came across. He was glad it was empty because he was already crying, the books tumbled from his fingers and he didn't bother to pick them up as he instead made for the row of sinks. He had to clean himself up first or he'd have more blood to remove from them, his face was still red in the mirror and his heart quivering. He pulled out a handkerchief to deal with his nose, he hadn't even realized being hit in the nose could make it bleed before coming to Hogwarts because he'd never been hit in the nose. He'd never been hit at all._

_He wondered what his parents would say if they could see what a pathetic piece of shit - he'd learned a lot of bad words from the insults he received - their youngest son was. They'd be ashamed. So would Aubrey. So would Audrey if the girls ever told her. He wondered what Luna thought of him, she must think he was weak and pathetic and stupid too. A child. A dumb little child. He didn't want her to think of him as that, he wanted her to like him. Maybe then he'd have a friend._

_"That's it," Roman said to himself, "The next person who tries to pick on me, I'm going to fight back and show them all that I'm not wasn't a worthless waste of space."_

_Roman stopped his nose blood and went to retrieve his books, using a spell to clean the blood from them and from the handkerchief. He then used the clean handkerchief to wipe the dirt his books had accumulated from being dropped on the ground, satisfied he continued on his perilous journey to get to lunch. The girls were long gone but he spotted two boys from his class heading down too, they'd been held back after class to be told off for a prank with dung bombs. _

_"Hey freak," one of them sneered when they spotted him, "Going to freak out?"_

_"N-No," Roman stammered nervously, remembering he was going to be brave and fight back and ignore his heart beating furiously as the two of them drew their wands._

_"Going to cry then, cry baby?" the second taunted, a cover for the first to subtly mutter a spell aimed at Roman._

_Roman threw his books into the air and dived out of the way as fast as he could, the spell collided with the poor books as did the one the second threw after Roman moved. Both missed him though, although the books were knocked violently back. Roman gripped his wand so hard his knuckles went white as he scrambled to his feet, his heart beat deafening him and his body quaking with fear._

_"Expelliarmus!" Roman cried at the second since he happened to come into his vision first, hitting him square in the chest and throwing him back away from his wand. The first was already aiming again, "Petrificus Totalis!"_

_The second jet struck just as perfectly, stopping the bully and causing his limbs to jump to his sides as he toppled over like a tree. Had it actually just worked? Had Roman really just defended himself successfully? He tried to smile but didn't think his petrified face managed it, his legs were wobbling as if they'd been cursed into jelly again. His delight was short lived however as he realized the boy he'd disarmed was crying, he didn't feel bad he was curious to why since he'd just been disarmed. Roman looked around and realized the spell had knocked the boy back, knocked him off the stairs. They weren't very high up but still, Roman peered over the side and saw the boy's arm was not in a position that arms were supposed to bend._

_Roman was in trouble._

_The boys lied, they said they'd just been walking to lunch when Roman attacked them without being provoked. The healer he'd gotten to help the boy yelled at him. The teacher the other boy had gotten to help yelled at him. Roman was taken to his Head of House, Slughorn, who also yelled at him but that still wasn't good enough. He was taken to the Headmistress herself and she yelled at him. Roman was too petrified from being yelled at to say a word in his defense, he was too busy trying not to cry and wishing he was home as he gripped the edges of the seat in the Headmistress' office. But that still wasn't enough, his sister had been informed and also insisted on seeing him to yell at him. He also realized for some reason Percy was there, he hadn't noticed through the torrent of soul-destroying yelling._

_"Our parents would be ashamed! Have you nothing to say for yourself?! Nothing?!" Audrey demanded furiously of him as her latest rant came to a close. He just wanted her to hug him as he cried, take him away from the horrible place of pain and fear forever._

_Roman swallowed. He knew he should tell the truth, say that it had been an accident to break the boy's arm and that it had been in self-defense. His parents would've approved of self-defense so Audrey would too - or at least not been so mad at him - and he thought not even Percy would have a problem with that. His mouth refused to open though. Maybe it was shame for admitting to being bullied in the first place, maybe it was fear of not being believed since he'd mentioned it to no one, maybe it was because he'd been yelled at so much he hadn't the courage left to speak at all but his jaws remained clamped shut. He couldn't speak._

_"I thought so! And as punishment you..." Audrey yelled and paused thoughtfully for a moment, she hadn't really had to punish him before, "You can't come home for the holidays this Christmas!"_

_"No," Roman tried to say but it came out as some in audible sob, his heart twisted, he wanted to go home so badly, "Please, Aud."_

_"If you wanted to come home then you should've thought of it before attacking those boys and breaking one of their arms! Knowing more magic than your peers is no excuse to attack them, let that be a lesson to you! My mind is made up."_

_On that note, Audrey muttered something to the headmistress before leaving with the Floo powder. Percy stood there for a moment looking surprised before also saying something to the headmistress before leaving himself. Roman just sat with silent tears streaming down his eyes, he tried to ask the headmistress if he could leave. He couldn't hear himself but she must have gotten the gist, she took some points away and gave him detentions quickly before letting him leave._

_Roman went straight back to his dormitory, he had no idea what time it was and he didn't care. He curled up onto his bed and cried. That was it, no hope, no relief. He was just trapped. He got bullied or he tried to fight back and got trapped. He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe his sister would do that to him. She'd been lying the whole time, she never meant for him to go home. Audrey just wanted him out of the way, Percy had turned her against him and now she just didn't want him. So much for family. _

_Smokey jumped up on the bed and lay beside him, he started stroking his cat gently and felt its calming strength seep back into his battered body. He realized he was angry at her too for turning against him and betraying him, their parents would be ashamed of her too and Aubrey for leaving. Audrey was a terrible sister, she was never there for him, never had time for him and never gave a damn about his life. Fuck Audrey. If she didn't want him, she wouldn't get him. If they were going to abandon him, he could abandon them. Who needed siblings when he had Smokey? Who needed friends? Who needed people? They are terrible. Roman was on his own and he was much better off._

* * *

Grant was still so scared of... wherever prisoners went now that Azkaban was destroyed that he didn't make any move to punish Michael for his accidental magic which was one plus. The rest of the day was not pluses though, Scorpius had another day filled with impatience as he really just wanted to get to nightfall with the map. Despite it being Halloween, there was no amazing Calderon-light-magic-thing that he did, no Calderon at all. He'd have to visit him soon if he didn't see him around, Elwood really needed to lay off his poor assistant. Although in a way, Scorpius supposed it was fairer they didn't get a show since Michael was stuck suffering from his werewolf condition while they were stuffing their faces. Marigold wasn't at dinner - probably from being with Michael - but Antonius was, apparently feeling better although he did seem to be eating cautiously less than a normal meal and staying away from treats.

And then finally, it was night time. Scorpius had thought of asking Albus to borrow his cloak again but he didn't want to in case it turn out to be a false alarm, if he did notice Professor Ashain out then he'd just have to wait until the patrols stopped and be careful. He waited until the others were asleep before taking out his wand and the map, using _Lumos_ to light up his wand before tapping it and solemnly swearing he was up to no good. The map obeyed and his eyes darted around, checking on Michael just to be cautious that he was indeed safe alone - with the Head Healer Marigold anyway - in the Hospital Wing. James and Carver were in the Fifth Year boy's dormitory, he didn't know James' other friends' names but from the layout of the dots everyone was accounted for. Except the prefects anyway, you could tell they were patrolling from the very structured movement and there was the right number of them. Near midnight the Third Year dormitories emptied to go to the Astronomy Tower for their Astronomy lesson, lasting an hour as usual before returning to their beds.

Professor Ashain's dot was with his children's in his office - the map apparently counted the living spaces off from the office as their office still - although it was doing the strange shifting thing still. It could still be a glitch. It didn't change for a while, Scorpius looked around watching as more dots left the Common Rooms for dormitories and more dots stopped moving in dormitories, offices and bathrooms as people settled down for the night. Still no Calderon dot. Or movement from Professor Ashain's strange one, the odd effect did make it easier to locate though which was a plus. Scorpius was starting to get tired by the time the prefects stopped patrolling, six dots returned to the Slytherin Dungeons, six dots returned to the Ravenclaw Tower, only four returned to the Hufflepuff basement - two taking a detour in the kitchens before also returning - and only five returned to Gryffindor Tower. Latimer went up to the Astronomy Tower for presumably another class since Latimer was taking Astronomy, much smaller but Professor Koray the Astronomy professor was still present.

Still no movement from Professor Ashain. Another hour and a half later and those names emptied out, all except Latimer who remained in the Tower alone for whatever reason. Scorpius was staring at his dot, trying to figure out why when Latimer headed back down and passed near another dot. Professor Ashain's dot. Professor Ashain waited for Latimer to go by before moving, heading straight to the girl's bathroom where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets remained.

Scorpius grabbed his wand, he hadn't changed into his pajamas deliberately and checked the map quickly to make sure Latimer wasn't near. He was alone in the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor now so Scorpius headed out to the bathroom where Professor Ashain's dot still stood, he could feel his heartbeat quickening as he crept down the steps with the irrational fear of being heard by him. He pocketed the map when he reached the bathroom, taking out his wand instead. He readied his happy thoughts, thinking of Professor Ashain who had always looked out for him and who he was determined to save.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Scorpius cried as he leaped into the room, his silver Thestral bursting into flight and soaring through Professor Ashain but... nothing happened.

"Are you still on that?" Professor Ashain questioned, not sounding like himself anymore but as if someone else spoke through his vocal chords. The same slight accent and slightly lower pitch than before, it didn't sound like a lot but it was noticeable and disconcerting, "Did you not notice its ineffectiveness before?"

"I don't know how you made Specters be immune to Patronuses but let him go, dammit!" Scorpius yelled angrily as he kept his wand trained on Not-Ashain, Not-Ashain cocked his head to one side curiously.

"I don't actually know what you're talking about, Malfoy, but kudos on the Patronus. I had not expected that from you."

"Let Professor Ashain go or I _will_ hurt you," Scorpius insisted, trying to sound threatening instead of terrified. How else was he supposed to get rid of the Specter if a Patronus didn't work? Was it just him or had they made them immune somehow?

"You realize attacking this body would injure Atticus not me?" Not-Ashain told him before giving a dismissive wave, "But I think its past your bed time. Go now or I'll put you there again."

"Not until you let Professor Ashain go," Scorpius protested and decided maybe stunning him would be the best option, it might give Professor Ashain control again, "_Stupefy!_"

"Feu!" Not-Ashain spat as he leaped out of the way with impossibly good reflexes even by Professor Ashain's spectacular standards, "My turn!"

"_Protego!_" Scorpius cried preemptively.

Not-Ashain held out his hand, a jet of white light shot out and obliterated his shield. The force of the magic was still enough to throw him back, cracking a mirror before falling painfully to the ground. Scorpius had a feeling that whatever the spell had meant to do, would've done more than that if not for his shield. He couldn't compete against that kind of magic and he had no idea how to help Professor Ashain, now was the time to get help... Professor Longbottom's office was nearby.

Scorpius tried to stand and noticed Not-Ashain readying his hand again, Scorpius threw himself out the door to avoid it barely. He slammed it shut behind him, already running and not knowing whether Not-Ashain was following. He pushed his legs onwards until it was at the professor's door, he barged in without thinking as he assumed the professor would be in his quarters and he'd need to knock in the office itself. Professor Longbottom was awake though, sitting at the desk and crying over a picture that he dropped in surprise at Scorpius' arrival. He wiped his eyes immediately.

"Professor, Professor Ashain's possessed and my Patronus doesn't work and he attacked me," Scorpius blurted out.

"Where?" Professor Longbottom asked, jumping into a serious face.

"The girl's bathroom on the second fl-"

Professor Longbottom had rushed past him before he'd even finished his sentence, Scorpius scrambled to keep up as he rushed back to the bathroom. No sign of Ashain, possessed or not. In fact, there was no sign of anything having happened at all as Professor Longbottom looked round. Scorpius went to point out the broken mirror he'd been thrown against as evidence but it was completely intact, bearing no sign of damage. Had Not-Ashain repaired it? It hadn't taken him that long to get Professor Longbottom, his office wasn't in the greenhouses.

"A-I-He was right here," Scorpius babbled uselessly but the professor was already moving and Scorpius in his wake as they headed to Professor Ashain's classroom, Professor Longbottom actually knocked fiercely.

"Atticus! It's an emergency, open up!" Professor Longbottom yelled without pausing in his hammering frenzy.

Just as he was about to barge in, the door opened and Professor Ashain was standing there. Professor Longbottom flicked his wand and Patronus light shot thorough to the increasingly confused looking Professor Ashain, nothing happened again. The professor was no longer fully dressed in robes but in plaid pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt, Scorpius realized, his hair was also messy as if he had just gotten out of bed and he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"The emergency was that you felt like hitting me with a Patronus?" Professor Ashain complained, his voice completely normal except for the edge of irritation and Professor Longbottom hung his head in embarrassment, "I've barely slept all weekend with Antonius being sick, couldn't you have just waited until morning instead of the middle of the frickin' night?"

"I had a bad tip," Professor Longbottom growled with a dark look in his direction. It was Scorpius' turn to hang his head in humiliation.


	27. IV: Things

_**Thanks to:** CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey, Winged-panther1, Guest Reviewer, Lucifersdaughter and A Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Wouldn't Scorpius have gotten minor (or even worse) lacerations on his back from the mirror?_**  
_The mirror cracked rather than breaking into shards to slice him, he does have bruises though_

**_How did the person possessing Ashain get him to fall asleep so fast?_**  
_Magic to repair the mirror, change clothes and being able to move fast. He/she/it/they are with Ashain all the time, they can only control his body when he's asleep and block out things that would wake him to keep him asleep. They just needed to do lie down and stop blocking him so he'd hear Neville, Ashain would wake up and be none the wiser that he hadn't been in bed sleeping_

**_And wouldn't Neville have at least looked into it further after, if Scorpius had mentioned THE second floor girl's bathroom? Like, right where the Scepter is hidden? He IS gonna look further into that right?_**  
_Neville doesn't think its likely but he is definitely still going to look into it but that doesn't mean he'll tell Scorpius or that Scorpius isn't going to be punished_

* * *

_Roman stopped writing letters home to Audrey and she stopped writing letters to him, he'd been right all along. She didn't care, she never had and just wanted him rid of him. Just like Aubrey, twins were awful people. He stayed in Hogwarts for the Christmas break which wasn't quite as awful as he'd expected, most people left so there was less people to pick on him and less people to make him anxious. He still didn't like it though and there was something painful in being alone for the holiday that was supposed to be all about family, Christmas was only nice for people who had that. He missed his sister's birthday too._

_Unfortunately the masses did return and Roman's life went back to being absolute hell. Somewhat anyway, for whatever reason people seemed to be picking on him less and Luna, Ginny and Hermione sometimes sat with him in the Library to see how he was doing. It made him nervous at first but desperation to talk to someone other than Smokey helped, even if he still spoke quietly and things came out garbled sometimes. He tried not to because he didn't want to look a fool in front of Luna but they didn't make fun of him for it, Luna was so nice. And unique, Roman had never met anyone like her and it made her even more special, she was so interesting even if he doubted everything she said was truth. He couldn't stop thinking about her sometimes or looking at her, she was very beautiful and his eyes were drawn to her at meals. He wished he'd had the presence of mind to say Ravenclaw to the hat at the time, then maybe he wouldn't be so alone._

_After a few months, he finally heard from Audrey in a short awkward message as if she didn't know what to write asking how he was. No apology though and Roman burned it, if she wasn't going to apologize for stabbing him in the back then he didn't care what she had to say. He got another letter a few weeks later, slightly longer and in oddly less formal style but still no apology so it joined its brother in the fire. The next one wasn't until just before Easter, telling him that she and Percy had booked some time off work to spend time with him, they were thinking of going on vacation over the holiday. But still no apology. And Percy? Roman forced himself to be strong. She wasn't getting him unless she apologized and it was all lies anyway, he was invisible with Percy around. He wrote a curt reply to inform her that he was staying for Easter and wishing her and Percy a nice vacation. She sent him several letters explaining how she'd meant the three of them as a family - since when was Percy family anyway? - not her and Percy, insisting he should come home. Roman burned them all without reply._

_Roman stayed for Easter, more people stayed than at Christmas but people were so busy studying for exams that it didn't matter so much. After that it was the final term, Audrey continued writing to him every few weeks but he burned them all without replying as she still didn't apologize. He had to sit through a painful memorial on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts where the Headmistress gave a long speech about it and they all lit a candle for those who died, releasing them into the sky. Roman was very proud of how he didn't cry when thinking of his parents, he'd gotten much better at bottling up his tears and fears over the second half of the school year, he'd even started flying a few feet off the ground now. Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup, Hufflepuff won the House Cup and Roman got good grades on the end of year exams. Then it was time to head home. Roman wished he could've just walked to the platform because he didn't like the scary looking creatures that pulled the carriages but he managed to not panic about, nor did he in the train where he got to sit with Luna, Ginny, Hermione and of course, Smokey._

_Audrey and Percy were there to pick him up from the station, people were happily hugging their families after being reunited all around him but Roman didn't. He wouldn't even give Audrey a smile and only spoke to answer questions, giving one word answers whenever he could. They took him to a different apartment, he wasn't sure whether it was where Percy had lived or somewhere new - he didn't really care - but it wasn't that different to their one from before. Two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen/dining/living room in a slightly different layout, Percy's things loitered about but it did have a more lived in and cluttered feel than theirs, it seemed maybe brighter too. And there were pictures. Of Percy's family, some of Percy and Audrey together and even some of Roman's family that Audrey must've had but just hadn't put up. He was drawn immediately to the only one with all five of them, Magnus despised photographs but had relented for one not long before his death._

_"Come on, your room's this way," Audrey offered and led him through to a room slightly larger than his previous one - although both were much smaller than the one from their home in the cottage - where thing were neatly put away but there was an odd amount of absences, "We gave away some of the things that you're too old for and don't play with anymore."_

_"Okay," Roman nodded reluctantly, spotting his favorites were all thankfully still there. All except... "Where's Enas?"_

_"Enas?" Percy wondered in confusion._

_"My stuffed unicorn."_

_"Oh. I got rid of it, you're much too old for stuffed toys," Percy brushed it off dismissively while Roman felt his heart beat frantically in terror._

_"Y-You k-killed Enas? You ki-killed my fr-friend," Roman repeated in horror, Percy sighed and corrected his glasses while Roman started to choke up._

_"And this is exactly why, you're almost twelve and still referring to stuffed toys as living things. Maybe if you stopped with them then you could make some actual friends with real people."_

_"I want Enas! I-I pr-promised I'd s-see him ag-again b-but y-you k-k-killed him."_

_"Grow up, Roman," Percy complained._

_"I h-h-hate y-you!" Roman screamed through the streaming tears, "You son of a bitch!"_

_"Roman! No swearing!" Audrey snapped at him, "And be nice to Percy."_

_"He k-killed my friend!"_

_"It's no reason to be rude," Audrey protested while Percy said something about dinner and left._

_"W-Why are you s-siding with h-him over me?! I'm your br-brother!"_

_"And he's my fiancé and you're the one swearing at him."_

_"F-Fiancé?" Roman wondered, his surprise overcoming his grief for a moment._

_"Yes. Percy and I are engaged. To be married," Audrey explained as if he'd mistaken it for something else, a rare smile cracking on her face and making her look her age for once, "He proposed a few days ago. So be nice to him, he is nice to you."_

_Roman wanted to point out that killing his friends wasn't exactly being nice to him but he bit his lip, seeing the futility of it as Audrey told him to settle in and left. He was confused anyway, wasn't marriage something that was supposed to be arranged? Not from dating. It was official though, he'd officially lost his sister to Percy Weasley. He'd completely corrupted her mind and turned him against her._

_Roman sat down on the edge of his bed, feeling the tears pricking his eyes. And they'd gotten rid of Enas, gotten rid of his favorite toy like it was nothing. Enas, who he'd had since before he could remember. And now Enas was gone. Forever. He'd said he'd come back and Enas had died not even knowing. Roman buried his head in his pillow and cried. He'd lost his parents. He'd lost his brother. And now, he'd lost his sister and Enas. He cried until his hurt but still couldn't stop. He was alone._

* * *

Scorpius felt utterly humiliated. Either the possessor was really good at covering his tracks and had completely made Scorpius look - and feel - like a fool, or it really had been all in his head again which made Scorpius look - and feel - like a fool. He couldn't prove it either way and really, he was doubting himself now. He could merely hang his head in shame when Professor Longbottom brought him back to his office to tell him off, chastising him for being out long after curfew and for coming to him with a ludicrous story. Scorpius was docked a full fifty points from Gryffindor, given detentions and - worst of all - banned from playing in the Quidditch match against Slytherin. Scorpius trudged back to his room in absolute misery, dreading the dawn.

He couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, or most of the night because he heard melancholic howling at one point. He couldn't get comfortable anyway, his shoulders and back were sore for some reason. Then there was the crushing feeling of failure and humiliation, concern that if he was right then Professor Ashain could still be in danger and disappointment at letting Molly down. For once, he wasn't up before Albus and it Albus poking him to tell him to get up. He dragged himself downstairs still in his depression, he couldn't even bring himself to look in the direction of the staff table as he chewed on tasteless food and brushed off his friends concerns.

It didn't help the first class they had was double Herbology, he couldn't even look at Professor Longbottom and his distraction was upsetting the plant he was supposed to be calming. Another tedious double History of Magic and it was back to lunch where he was finally badgered into giving up why he was so upset, although he didn't elaborate on why he'd been out or what he thought he'd told Professor Longbottom. They tried to be comforting but it didn't help, Molly also tried to be kind to him about it but he could see the disappointment in her eyes. And that was worse than anger, maybe he deserved to be yelled at, but disappointment? He'd never wanted to let her down. It started a new regime to prepare Lily for her first match.

And if all that wasn't bad enough, Scorpius went to see Michael in the Hospital Wing the next day. Michael's right arm was in a sling and his other hand was also bandaged, he also had bruises on his face. Scorpius' first instinct was that he hadn't been paying enough attention and that James had attacked him again.

"James didn't do anything to me this time," Michael pointed out, sighing and hanging his head, "I... I did this to myself."

"What?!" Scorpius blurted out in shock.

"I got frustrated and I don't know, I just... lashed out and got hurt. I'll be okay in time for the match though, don't worry."

"Isn't the whole point of using Wolfsbane so that doesn't happen?!" Scorpius demanded.

"You don't know what it's like!" Michael snapped back, looking upset, "Wolfsbane or not, you just feel... energy and then being cooped up alone with nothing to do, it's a bad combination with hating being a werewolf. Wolfsbane lets you keep your mind but it doesn't stop you being a werewolf... You wouldn't understand. No one does. It's just hard sometimes... It's really hard."

"Time to leave now, you're making him irate, Michael needs rest," Marigold complained and was pulling Scorpius away before he could say anything. Scorpius was about to protest but a glance back revealed Michael's outburst had actually sapped his strength, his eyes flickered before falling closed and his head lolled back into the pillow.

"It doesn't concern you that he attacked himself?" Scorpius wondered of Marigold who seemed surprised by the question.

"It happens, especially with new werewolves and young ones. Their own frustrations mingle with the werewolf's usual reaction to frustration and they can lash out, typically at themselves or sometimes others especially those they don't like or may be mad at. Don't worry, he'll get used it and I can give him something to help him sleep next time."

"That makes me feel so much better," Scorpius muttered sarcastically as he left with something else to worry about as he started trudging back to his dormitory.

"Where are you going?" Latimer's voice called out and he froze, "We have Quidditch practice now."

"I don't want to go to Quidditch practice," Scorpius moaned as Latimer appeared by his side, he really didn't feel like it.

"Neither do I but we still owe it to Molly to show up."

"Yeah," Scorpius sighed as he reluctantly started to head to the pitch with Latimer, "You're actually playing in the next match though."

"You still gotta train up Lily and there'll be other matches later in the year. Chin up," Latimer offered and clapped him on the shoulder, Scorpius cringed in pain and Latimer jerked his hand violently away as if burned, "What?"

"It's not you, I just banged my shoulders and back. It's still sore."

"How'd you manage that?"

Latimer's question gave him pause and he tried to think what he'd done, he hadn't given it much thought under the press of every other negative emotion but in that moment, it clicked. It was from being thrown against the mirror by Not-Ashain. Assuming it wasn't psychological and there were actual bruises, he'd know for once and for sure whether it was all real.

"I need to check for bruises," Scorpius announced to himself, Latimer just looked at him strangely and something else occurred to him as well, "You stayed out late the other night."

"No, I didn't," Latimer lied.

"Halloween night, the same night I got in trouble for. You were out too."

"I wasn't. Apart from class and patrolling obviously."

"You were. You stayed for ages in the Astronomy Tower after everyone left then went to the prefect's bathroom," Scorpius protested, knowing full well he was right while Latimer looked somewhat shaken.

"Are you following me or something?" Latimer asked him worriedly and Scorpius realized he didn't have a good excuse, he couldn't actually think of any rational explanation for how he'd known it if not for the map or from following him. Could he trust Latimer with the map? Latimer knew about the cloak after all and he'd let him stay over August. It was important.

"You didn't tell anyone about the Invisibility Cloak, did you?"

"Of course not, I'm not completely stupid. Did you use that to follow me? Why would you even follow me?"

"I didn't follow you!" Scorpius insisted and held out his arm to stop Latimer to get his full attention, "Look if I trust you with this, then you need to promise not to tell anyone. Most of my other friends don't even know about it."

"So now I'm your friend again?"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Scorpius demanded as he was sidetracked by recalling Latimer's behavior from a few days ago, Latimer muttered something that sounded like nothing, "If it's anything she said then don't listen-"

"It's nothing to do with what she said," Latimer interrupted seriously, "You said it yourself."

"When?" Scorpius wondered with a confused scowl, he was pretty sure that he'd never said that to Latimer.

"It doesn't matter. Just forget," Latimer brushed it off and started to walk again.

"It matters to me," Scorpius protested and Latimer took a long time to elaborate.

"In Hogsmeade. But like I said, it doesn't matter."

"In Hogsmeade?" Scorpius repeated, trying to think since he hadn't seen Latimer much after his parents... "Wait, because of what I said to my father?"

"You were pretty clear," Latimer muttered, apparently finding the ground suddenly very interesting to look at.

"That was just for my father, I didn't want him to figure out that you were the one I stayed with. I didn't mean that you weren't my friend," Scorpius explained unsurely, had Latimer really been bothered by an offhand comment like that? He'd thought they'd know what he meant, "You know that, right?"

"Why would I know that? I'm not a Legillimens."

"Of course you're my friend, you helped me out when I really needed it and I'd do the same for you. I wouldn't just use someone like that," Scorpius told him seriously and took out the map, "Look, I wouldn't show you this otherwise. This is how I knew you were out of bed and why I was, it's a map."

"A map?" Latimer repeated, raising his head in confusion and Scorpius pulled him into an empty classroom to show him.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Scorpius said and tapped his wand onto the page, showing it to Latimer who gazed at in amazement, "It's a map of Hogwarts, it shows everywhere and where everyone inside it is. Almost anyway, it doesn't show Calderon or the Room That Doesn't Exist but mostly it's pretty thorough, it even shows some secret passageways."

"Where did you get it?"

"Err... James Potter. It got mixed up with my friend's things when he was bullying him the year before last, he gave it to me and we kind of decided to hold on to it."

"Wise decision. Where'd James get it? This is so far beyond on him, even by his current standard of magic."

"No idea. Stole it probably."

"Classic James. So you watched me with this map?" Latimer asked curiously as he studied the map.

"Not just you. But yeah... Why were you in the perfect's bathroom anyway?"

"Bungee jumping. Why do people usually go to bathrooms?" Latimer quipped with heavy sarcasm.

"In the middle of the night?" Scorpius wondered dubiously and Latimer's cheeks tinged red in embarrassment.

"Yes. I get really self-conscious so I only bathe at night... When it's dark... And no one's around... So no one can see me... And laugh at my pockmarks and scars..." Latimer answered quietly, awkwardly and unhappily, "More than usual anyway."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius offered sympathetically before curious nipped at him, "How... How did you get with the... pockmarks anyway?"

"Gee, you really don't want to get to Quidditch practice," Latimer commented semi-jokingly while looking surprised and it dawned on him that it probably wasn't the most sensitive question.

"You don't have to say if you don't want to," Scorpius added quickly but Latimer brushed it off a dismissive wave, seeming to relax a bit.

"I don't mind, people just don't usually ask is all. It's because of Dragon Pox."

"Dragon Pox?" Scorpius repeated in puzzlement, he was pretty sure he knew people who'd had it and weren't covered in scars. Latimer seemed to understand his confusion completely.

"There's different strains of Dragon Pox, that's why it still exists even though there's cures. They only work on a certain strain and are less effective on others, I got infected with a less common but much more aggressive strain when I was five. I got better but it left me looking like this."

"I thought you told Chastity that you had it a few years ago?"

"I have to be careful if I'm sick because if my immune system gets too weak then it can resurface. Have to go on lockdown in St Mungo's, afterwards it leaves me looking even worse. Good times."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm used it by now," Latimer shrugged it off but there might have been a glint of sadness in his eyes, "Can I borrow that map at some point?"

"What? No. Maybe. Not now," Scorpius said as he gathered his thoughts and recalled his original line of thought, "What I wanted to ask about the other night was if you saw Professor Ashain out."

"That's what you wanted to know?" Latimer wondered curiously, "Yeah, I saw him. I've seen him a couple of times the past few weeks, it's not that unusual for teachers to be doing rounds themselves for a bit. Although they don't usually use magic to conceal them but I figure it's because he was an auror, you know?"

"He used magic to conceal himself?" Scorpius asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I use this charm and if they're within range then it picks them up so I can avoid them up to not get caught. Prefects are only supposed to be out for patrolling so I could still in get trouble. I wouldn't notice him otherwise but he's never tried to tell me off or anything if he did notice me. Why's Ashain's name being weird like that?"

"That's what I was investigating the other night," Scorpius pointed out, it was basically true and even more so now. He wasn't crazy and the map wasn't failing them in that regard, Professor Ashain was out at night. Something _was_ wrong with him.

"Can we go to Quidditch practice now and talk about this later?"

Scorpius agreed and they headed down after he wiped the map, Molly wasn't mad at them for being late since Freddie and Caitlin arrived even later than them. Scorpius used the locker room mirror the first chance he got to check his back, confirming the bruises to his shoulders and back. He was right. He'd been right all along. The bruises and Latimer's confirmation proved it. Something _was_ possessing Professor Ashain at night. Either by some super Specter that didn't leave his eyes black and wasn't affected by Patronuses, or... something else that Scorpius didn't have a clue about. What now?

* * *

Celestine looked around him, baskets with cute little babies sleeping happily and then he looked down at the... _thing_ in the basket in front of him. He didn't think he'd ever hated anything as he much as he hated the thing he was supposed to call a son, it disgusted him. It had only been alive a few hours but he already despised it and wished death upon it, his hand itched to take his wand and end its life. Every manner of dark, deadly, agonizing spell he knew circling his mind as the thing looked up at him with its big eyes. He wondered if it would be alright to kill it and switch baskets with one of the actual babies, he could live to love one of them as a child much easier than the thing before him. Or destroy its soul if the thing even had one.

"Even your mother hates you," Celestine hissed at the thing as it continued staring at him, "She wanted a girl to name after her sister, the one I killed. You have no name. No one's ever going to love you and one of these days, you're going to die in agony by my own hand."

"Well I was going to say 'congratulations' but after hearing that, it may be the wrong phrase."

"Shut up, Brutus," Celestine snapped darkly and glanced to his left at the newcomer, he knew something was bad he thought even the deformed Brutus was preferable to look at and to be around, "I hardly think that was your soul reason for being here."

"Of course not. Although my advice is to try being nice to your son, if only to maintain your cover. It's not his fault that he got landed with you as father anyway, be a human being for once."

"Did you actually want something?"

"You said you information."

"I did?" Celestine wondered for a moment before recalling what he'd wanted to pass along, the thing had decided to be born at a rather inopportune moment and to take an excruciatingly long amount of time. He was actually starting to pity Gabrielle and had no idea why any woman anywhere in the world would want a child that wasn't adopted, "I did. Heard something strange about the Scepter's hiding."

"What?" Brutus asked, his gruff tone immediately becoming serious.

"Apparently Scorpius Malfoy became convinced your brother was possessed and hanging around the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets at night."

"Is he okay?" Brutus asked, concern clearly obliterating everything else from his mind.

"Scorpius? Yes, in trouble for being out but perfectly health-"

"I meant my brother!" Brutus barked angrily, stepping forwards and Celestine smirked at having provoked a response.

"I know what you meant. Your precious brother is fine as far as anyway can tell, a few nights of observation and no possessed wandering or signs of the Imperius Curse or Specter possession," Celestine explained and smelled her scent off him, what did Brutus have that he didn't? "The Scepter's safety holds. It is odd, unless you know something I don't."

"I don't, it's not us. We can't enact our plan until after Christmas break and it doesn't involve my brother, it doesn't involve possession at all and it hasn't changed since we last discussed it. I have no idea why Scorpius would think that."

"My guess would be Varanian, if he managed to catch on to anything and told Scorpius where the first half is hidden. Although what claiming your brother is possessed has to do with it, I don't know," Celestine offered with a shrug, "If anything is wrong with your brother, they do an excellent job of remaining hidden. I don't think it should affect our plans if nothing continues to come from it but it's worth noting and being given a second look, as a spy I must keep up my due diligence."

"Well thanks," Brutus growled as he stepped back into the shadows, "We'll look into it."

"I know," Celestine sighed as Brutus was whisked away, probably to go fill her in while he was stuck with the despicable thing. The thing was _still_ looking at him, "I really, truly hate you. You know, that?"


	28. IV: Mixed Up

_**Author's Note:** Thank you so much to CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey for reviewing! I'm glad you're still enjoying it_

**_Questions:_**

**_It isn't the Shadows messing with Prof. Ashain?_**  
_Nope_

**_Some group that wants the Scepter because it can do powerful magic or something?_**  
_Again, I'm sorry but I am not going to confirm or deny theories about Professor Ashain's possession but you will find out soon, before Christmas in-story. Also not going to say what the Scepter can do but you will find that out eventually too, I will say it is powerful though because Scepters aren't quite the same as wands_

* * *

_It was a miserable summer for Roman, Enas' loss was painful and he hated Percy for it. Made even worse by Percy's constant presence in the apartment, in fact the summer had far too many Weasleys for his liking. Meals with Percy's parents or brother and sister-in-law or assortment of siblings and general family members were frequent, Mrs Weasley had also volunteered to babysit - he thought that offensive, he was not a baby - while Audrey worked so he would be stuck with her at the Burrow. Mrs Weasley actually wasn't too bad for a Weasley although she could be fussy, the mess of the Burrow and the fact she was a random stranger bothered him more than anything. She did let him help her with cooking though, that was a plus and Audrey could definitely stand to take lessons from her, Percy was a better cook than his sister._

_His Hogwarts letter came for his Second Year, Roman didn't want to go but Audrey didn't ask his opinion so he didn't give it. He just shut his mouth and accepted his fate, continued being cold to Audrey and Percy for betraying him and murdering Enas. Ginny, Luna and Hermione had all graduated Hogwarts so he wouldn't know anyone this time around, Ginny had been drafted to play for the Holyhead Harpies so Quidditch was also frequently discussed. Roman and Audrey both lacked the Weasley enthusiasm for the sport, Mavis had been American where Quidditch wasn't as popular or well-known and Magnus... Magnus just had no interest in a lot of things so the appeal was lost on the both of them. It was also annoying not being able to use magic outside of Hogwarts now, starting at the school had marked him with the Trace so he didn't even have that. He pitied muggles and squibs for not being able to do magic, it wasn't fun being so cut off from a big part of yourself._

_Before long, he was back on the platform to go back to hell with Audrey and Percy - Roman still had no idea why Percy had to be there - where he again didn't hug Audrey. He sat alone in a compartment with Smokey, playing and petting his cat without a shred of hope for the year. Roman was right. They'd lost Flying just when he'd been starting to enjoy it, at least Herbology was more practical now. The bullying was also much worse despite being an older year, Roman didn't dare try to defend himself again and had to endure their cruelty but he was still much better at not crying. That had to be a plus, didn't it? There was also no more Luna. Audrey wrote to him sporadically, asking how he was and giving him news such as Percy's brother's wife being pregnant but never apologized so Roman continued his policy of not writing back to her. He also stayed in hell for Christmas again, although Audrey insisted he had to come back for the Easter break because they'd arranged the wedding specially to tie in with the holiday date so that he would be able to be there._

_Roman didn't want to go to the wedding, what was to celebrate about his sister losing herself to Percy? He was dreading it and time didn't go slowly enough, he had to pick the electives for next year as well. Percy sent him a long, detailed letter about the subjects in regards to future careers - since when did Percy care? - with advice. In the end Roman went with Study of Ancient Runes because it sounded genuinely interesting and Care of Magical Creatures because it was taught by Hagrid, the giant still terrified him but it was better than a stranger who could be even worse. That was the only reason he chose it over Arithmancy, he didn't want to know the future and he couldn't see when Muggle Studies would be useful. He also didn't want extra subjects, nine classes crammed with people was more than enough for his poor heart._

_Roman got bundled into a carriage with random people to make up the numbers like when he'd arrived to head back for Easter, the loners who didn't sit in friendship groups but that also meant being one of the last to get to the platform. This didn't matter arriving at Hogwarts but heading to the train, it meant all the compartments were taken already. Roman stood there in the corridor for a full quarter of an hour, trying to work up the courage to ask a random stranger if he could share their compartment. Until the Trolley Lady found him and volunteered to do it for him, he hung his head in embarrassment and obliged as she skipped past compartments until finding one with a lone occupant. Roman stood back while the lady asked and the answer must've been yes because she was smiling as she stepped away from the door, gesturing with a kind smile for him to go in._

_"Anything off the trolley then? You can something for free for your generosity if you'd like," the lady asked of the boy in the compartment as Roman sat down nervously opposite with Smokey._

_"No thank you, ma'am," the boy turned her down in a polite but girlish gentle voice, holding up a lone hand for emphasis although he gave her a soft smile, "I'm saving my appetite for Easter but I appreciate the gesture."_

_"None for me either," Roman added quickly, "And thanks."_

_The lady nodded and left them alone, Roman glanced up at the boy. He was still dressed in his Hufflepuff robes, a Third Year if Roman had to guess. His incredibly bony hands grasped a book titled 'Harry Potter: Secrets Behind the Scar' by Rita Skeeter, his dark eyes darted across the pages eagerly. He had to keep brushing back his sandy hair when it fell across his eyes, he had an incredibly gaunt face to match the skeletal frame but there was an overwhelming amount of pimples. _

_Still though, someone who didn't hate him, wasn't from the house of evil and seemed not to already have friends? Could Roman make a friend? He was often lonely but he'd rather be lonely than befriend evil Slytherins, the other houses hated him on principle. He didn't know how to make friends anyway, talking to people was a nightmare. He thought he might as well try though, they had a long journey ahead.  
_

_"I-I kn-know Ha-Harry Potter," Roman blurted out, his voice stammering from nerves as his heart started pounding and the boy flicked his eyes to him but his face remained expressionless, "I'm s-seeing h-him ov-over the hol-holidays even for m-my s-sister's wedding."_

_"Cool. I'm dining with the muggle Queen myself, I'm her nephew you see," the boy told him and Roman didn't catch the sarcasm in time._

_"Wow, will you be inside her palace?"_

_"Idiot," the boy muttered and glanced back to his book. Roman caught on, he hung his head in embarrassment and his heart twisted up from humiliation._

_"S-S-Sorry. I-I'm n-not ly-lying though. He's ac-actually pret-pretty scary, he w-wants t-to kill me bec-because I off-offended him," Roman explained, the boy glanced at him dubiously but said nothing and returned to his reading a moment later, "D-Did I thank you f-for letting me s-s-sit here?"_

_"If you want to thank me then please be quiet while I read, I'm hoping to finish it before I get home. We're staying with my muggle grandparents for Easter so I won't be allowed to bring it since they don't know of magic."_

_Roman sighed and hung his head again as he stroked Smokey. Making friends was hard. Even talking to people was hard. People were just incredibly difficult in general. At least he had Smokey. Smokey was much easier to talk to and befriend, why couldn't people be like that? _

* * *

Calderon loved the holidays, dressing the castle up all spooky like or all jolly like was fun and exciting especially since he'd never gotten to celebrate any of them as a child. Elwood forbade it. He thought the last thing the students needed was to be scared by decorations - he'd spent exactly half his life in Hogwarts now, nineteen years and hadn't once seen a student terrified into being traumatized by decorations - plus it apparently was not 'cost-effective' so Calderon was forbidden from it. Only very minor things were done and all of it was dumped on the poor house-elves instead of Calderon, Calderon was still stuck on paper duty. He wasn't allowed to do anything magical at the feast - or even attend at all - and Elwood hadn't gotten any alternate entertainment in either, the students had a dull Halloween indeed.

That night was also when Scor had accused Ticcy of being possessed in the very entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, or the bathroom that led to the Chamber of Secrets but he thought entrance made it sound slightly more grand which he thought his ancestor would prefer. Elwood then accused Calderon of not protecting the Scepter which he thought was unfair, you stand in the bathroom until pigs learned to fly and dragons became the overlords of the Earth but not get in to the Chamber. He'd put magical wards in place, he would _know_ if the Chamber was opened and if any of the check points to get to the Scepter - that half of it anyway, the other was in a cave with similar protection - were passed and if the Scepter itself was reached. Not even the first ward had been broken, no one had touched the Chamber. He was also quite sure that Ticcy's possession was impossible, if his sister was capable of breaching Hogwarts with Specters then she would have used more than one and not needed an army of werewolves or rampaging creatures.

He wasn't an expert on Blood Runes but from what he understood, the protection would hold as long as the person who activated it was within the boundaries of its protection. Since both he and Scor had done that, both of them would need to leave for it to be breached even inside an object now. He hadn't left Hogwarts since the previous school year since Elwood deemed him unfit to deliver acceptance letters to muggle-borns from being... what was the word? Unstable. Ticcy had arrived while he was there, thus the protection would've prevented him from entering if possessed by a Shadow. He'd left briefly to help protect the second Scepter half with Harry but Scor had still been in Hogwarts so the protection would still have held. Plus there was a whole bunch of other protective spells that he, Harry and other Aurors had put up to protect Hogwarts. He was quite confident a Shadow could not enter. Nor did know how they'd be able to not have black eyes, Ticcy was no metamorphmagi and Polyjuice potion could not turn someone into a metamorphmagi either.

That left it as either being another kind of possession or that Scor was mistaken, Calderon thought the latter was more likely and liked Ticcy's theory. The Scepter had been giving Ticcy's kids strange dreams and had given Scor strange dreams in the past, Ticcy thought it was the Scepter messing with Scor's dreams somehow. Calderon couldn't hazard a guess why, he knew the Scepter needed to be hidden because Sal was after it but that was pretty much it. He could only guess randomly unless he knew more. Everyone was pretty sure Ticcy wasn't possessed though after testing him from the usual methods and looking for signs, proving his own mind and keeping an eye out to make sure he wasn't wandering at night. Possession took its toll on the person's body from being controlled against their will and if anything Ticcy was the opposite, he was cited as being in extremely good physical health by anyone's standards.

Calderon had to shove it all out of his mind though as at the beginning of November, Harry called upon him to test the first sample of the power-blocking potion they were trying to develop. He wasn't sure whether he hoped more that it failed or that it succeeded as he headed to Elwood's office to Floo there, muttering the password - 'Godric's Hollow' - and climbing the staircase. Harry had advised he bring an overnight bag since they weren't sure how long it's effects would last, he had it slung over his shoulder as he whistled in tune with his lights. He was leaving Hogwarts for at least a day anyway so he couldn't see why Elwood should complain.

"Ready to leave?" Elwood asked him coldly as he entered.

"Yep," Calderon confirmed with a nod as he approached the fireplace.

Elwood threw him a murderous look as he crossed his arms. Calderon was taller than him so he constantly seemed to feel the need to try make himself bigger by puffing out his chest, standing on his tippy-toes and holding his chin up. Calderon thought this just made him look rather silly but what did Calderon know? He was just a crazy, unstable lunatic-type person with severe issues according to Prinkett and Rutherford the counsellors. Calderon could hardly call them wrong considering his parents and sister, instability pretty much ran in the family as far as he could tell.

"And don't think I don't know what you're doing," Elwood added in a hiss, genuinely confusing Calderon. He wanted to say: 'going to test a power-blocking potion' but he had a feeling that would be the wrong answer.

"What am I doing?" Calderon decided to just ask instead tiredly, he knew he wouldn't get it.

"Sucking up to Harry Potter so he'll think more highly of you and get you to have my job, you're taking cruel advantage of the greatest hero of all time who happens to be a kind and trusting human being just to further your twisted desperation for power. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"For the three-hundred and fifty-fifth time,_ I don't want your job_," Calderon pointed out with great and truthful emphasis, he much preferred being an assistant. Although that being said, he wished he was doing actual assisting instead of tedious paperwork. Still, he had no interest in taking Elwood's job nor to suck up to Harry. Naturally, Elwood still didn't believe him.

"And you won't even admit it, you're an awful person. An awful crazy person."

"There's nothing to admit!"

"Only a guilty person would deny it. Who are you trying to convince?"

"I'm trying to convince you!" Calderon complained in exasperation, shifting the magic coming out of him into making his magical lights flicker safely.

"Just go, Calderon," Elwood said dismissively as he sat at the desk.

Calderon rolled his eyes and reached the fireplace, Flooing over to the Ministry of Magic with an automatic redirect to the Auror Office where Harry Potter was waiting for him. He looked incredibly stressed - and Calderon felt incredibly guilty considering his sister was the cause - but smiled in relief nonetheless. It saddened him to think it was all a lie, the people he was close to would turn on him if they knew his past. With Sal stirring everything up, he thought it only a matter of time before his life crumbled around him. It actually didn't scare him so much anymore, he couldn't have a happy childhood, normal control over magic with a wand, a Hogwarts education, friends, a wife or any kind of romantic life, children, a pet dragon or even his parent's love. But he still had people he cared about, a rewarding - at least pre-Elwood - job and had had fun in his half-life which was more than he could've hoped for or deserved, he was okay with that. He'd had a good run and when the time came to pay for the crimes of his family, he would accept it. In the meantime, he could just live his life as fully as possible.

"Glad you could make it, Marius, this way" Harry greeted him and started leading him away through a maze of doors and offices, he felt magic bubbling in his excitement which he chose to manifest as orange bubbles, "And thank you again for doing this."

"What's that?" Calderon questioned curiously as they passed a model of a creepy looking building that reminded him too much of Azkaban.

"The design for New Azkaban prison, since the Soul Eaters destroyed Azkaban entirely a few years back. Construction was awkward to get going due to needing the muggle Minister's approval and knowledge to build but it halted in the wake Kingsley's death and the Ministry attack, it finally started going again but the new Minister stopped it because he's not sure the new design will be safe from Shadow attacks. Considering the Shadow Master seems to have a vendetta against prisons, - he obliterates all the ones they target after taking a majority of the prisoners, according to the Shadow werewolves we've interrogated - I think it's about as safe as it can be in the current climate."

"You want my advice about it?"

"Sure."

"Don't use Dementors," Calderon blurted out before he could stop himself, "And I think a great suggestion would be to put it within the bounds of the magic that detects when magical children are born in the UK. You know, in case there's a child born on New Azkaban."

"I don't think it's likely," Harry admitted as they came to a halt by a balding, weedy looking man who held out a luminous green vial with a toothy grin, "Marius, this is Seward Fitz the lead Potioneer on this project. Seward, this is Marius Calderon."

"Nice to meet you," Calderon offered politely and held out his hand, Fitz took it but used it as an anchor point to yank him to a door that led to a small - but still bigger than all but his current bedroom - bland-looking room with a bed, table and chairs in it. Fitz pushed the vial into his hands.

"That's where you can stay while we test its effects, there's a bathroom door you can't see from this angle if you need it and a bed for later if you want to sleep," Fitz explained in a garbled voice, "The vial contains the sample, it takes a few minutes to kick in so you won't feel the effects immediately. When you do, try to use magic and see if you can or not. Drink up!"

"He only just got here," Harry complained, "You could've tried saying 'hello', Seward."

"Hello! Now drink up."

"You can still change your mind if you want to."

"I'm good," Calderon agreed with a smile to hide his hesitation as he drank the green liquid, coughing and cringing, "It feels like I'm swallowing thorns."

"Certain kinds of thorns are an ingredient. You are not permitted to eat or drink anything but water for the first twenty-four hours in case it interferes with the potion, if the effects haven't worn off after that window then we'll find something bland and non-interfering for you to drink," Fitz told him in the same garbled tone, not necessarily speaking fast but garbled as he took the empty vial, "I can get you some water though, if you'd like?"

"That'd be nice," Calderon nodded as he went to sit down at the table, Harry hovered in the doorway while Fitz left.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked with concern.

"Aside from the stabbing feeling in my throat, pretty normal," Calderon answered truthfully, Harry nodded and fell silent for a minute.

"How are my children doing?"

"Lily and Albus are pretty consistently doing okay in classes with a few issues with History of Magic and Astronomy - Astor complains Albus falls asleep - and haven't been in trouble recently, in fact Lily's playing Seeker in a real match for the first time in the wake of Scor being banned for the first match. James is... well he's notably talented in some subjects but also lazy in others especially when it comes to written work, if he's still bullying then he hasn't been caught recently," Calderon told him, Harry said nothing but his face tightened stoically. Calderon noticed his magical lights had stopped, he was starting to feel a bit dizzy actually. Well, a _lot _dizzy actually. Maybe it was kicking in?

"And Vern?"

"Finally seems to be overcoming his avoidance of spellwork, he's improved a lot in that regard and is still doing pret-pretty well in his other subjects."

"Are you okay?" Harry questioned, noticing the change in tone.

"Need to lie down," Calderon muttered weakly, hating the feeling so much after having to endure being so ill last year from the poison for so long. It was just awful.

He felt so dizzy, he needed to lie down before the world spiraled. He tried to stand and stagger to the bed but everything was moving so fast, he started to fall but Harry caught his arm to keep him on his feet. Calderon was breathing heavily as Harry helped him to sit on the edge of the bed, his body moved sluggishly into a lying down position. He gazed up at the inky light over his bed, feeling entirely exhausted. As if his body had suddenly became a massive weight, one that was too heavy to lift or even to move.

"Is it working?" Fitz's voice asked and Calderon managed to fight the weight dragging him down, shifting his eyes to glance at the Potioneer but couldn't muster speech as the man clutched a glass of water excitedly. Calderon still rather liked the water but he hadn't strength to ask for it. Or reach it. Or drink it, "Try using magic."

Calderon didn't think he could move, let alone do magic. He tried to feel the power and his body jolted, a snap of pain sparking through him as if the magic was repelled and the weight increased. He was breathing even more heavily now, he tried again. And again. And again. Still getting nothing but the volt of pain. But it was just that, pain. He'd been through worse and so had Sal, she'd fight much harder than he was right now. He'd prefer death to eternal imprisonment again and he knew she would too, pain was worth freedom.

Feeling newfound determination, Calderon tried to feel the power inside him and the wave of pain came. He rode it out and felt the flood of magic fill his veins, pulsating with pain but still there. He tried to move the deadweight of his arm dangling off the side of the bed, surprised by how easily the limb moved upwards. He focused a burst of energy and a jet of power shot out, dashing upwards and shattering the inky light. Calderon felt his consciousness vanish with the light.

"Doesn't work..."

* * *

Knowing that he was right helped Scorpius to pull himself out of his rut of misery. He still wasn't sure it was enough to convince a teacher and he certainly didn't want to risk humiliation again but it was enough for him, he was sure Michael would agree when he could tell him. Michael's injuries put him in the Hospital Wing for longer than usual to recover and Scorpius couldn't risk talking to him about it with marigold hovering around, he hoped at least it'd distract Michael from his condition to have something else to think about. He couldn't think of anything else to help Michael, he was a failure as a friend but the distraction helped.

Michael having to stay longer did let him hold onto the map for longer, however Professor Ashain's blurring dot didn't go to the entrance at night. The first night it stayed in its office with Professor Longbottom outside in the classroom, almost as if they were taking precautions in case the professor was possessed. Despite not seeming to believe him, they must have decided safe was better than sorry. The possessor must also have realized this too and was lying low to avoid suspicion, it seemed too coincidental for the change in pattern to be because of anything else. Professor Longbottom didn't say anything to him about any of it during his detentions though, just set Scorpius his task - usually cleaning pots or pulling weeds - and let him get on with it in silence. He had really taken a turn for the worse since Nick's death, his eyes carried heavy black bags and he never or rarely smiled even outside of class now.

Scorpius had tried to research possession in case there was another method aside from Specters but had only managed to find vague references, he'd also considered that Professor Ashain could actually be an imposter with that Polyjuice stuff or another metamorphmagi but non-Ashain had said hurting him would hurt the professor. Not-Ashain could've been lying though and it might explain the odd shifting name but then why was he so much like himself during day time? He could even cast the same Patronus during their lessons, it seemed unlikely the Shadows would have someone like that handy. That also seemed against Specter possession, were they really able to possess someone casting the very thing that warded them away? He'd been meaning to ask Calderon since he thought if anyone knew, the assistant would. Calderon hadn't been there though.

The Librarian - who Scorpius was still on good terms with from his First Year - had also hinted that more on possession would be found in the Restricted Section, available only to NEWT students and staff unless you received permission from a staff member. That was unlikely but luckily, he knew NEWT students and had asked Latimer to look into it as a favor. He'd promised to explain later to quell Latimer's curiosity and the older boy had agreed, he hadn't gotten back to him on finding anything yet though. Molly's increased number of Quidditch practices to prepare Lily might have been a contributing factor, Latimer took Michael's place as kind of lead Chaser while he was still recovering.

It was Friday before Michael was finally released from the Hospital Wing, now with mostly-healed wounds on his hands from the full moon. Scorpius made a mental note to look into ways to make werewolf transformations easier or more bearable when he had the chance, that hadn't been covered when learning about werewolves so Scorpius wasn't sure how much luck he'd have but it was still worth a shot if it could help Michael. And he _would_ help his friend, just like he would save Professor Ashain and would make it up to Molly for being unable to play in the match, somehow. Scorpius could finally fill Michael in, determined to distract him and figure out how to save Professor Ashain from the Shadows.

"Can't this wait until morning?" Michael wondered worriedly in a whisper as they were getting dressed behind the drapes to go to the Room That Doesn't Exist to discuss it, the others were sleeping, "I don't want you to get in trouble again."

"It's important. And it's about why I got in trouble," Scorpius insisted as he finished and went to put on shoes, "Besides, we'll have the map. We can use it to make sure we avoid all people, I only got caught because I actually went _to_ Professor Longbottom."

"Okay," Michael agreed as Scorpius pulled back the drapes as he finished, seeing Michael had also done the same and was just finishing his laces, "Is it about the Scepter?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you when we get there. Ready? Let's go."

"Yes, let's," a new voice chimed in and they both turned in shock and horror to see Albus standing in the doorway that led out.

"I-I thought you were asleep," Scorpius stammered out stupidly before he could stop himself, Albus' emerald eyes narrowed in the night.

"I know. I was having trouble sleeping because I have a lot on my mind so when you said 'is anyone awake,' I just didn't say anything because I thought you'd be quiet and I could carry on trying to sleep," Albus explained, looking somewhere between angry and upset, "And then I hear you going to chat in the Room That Doesn't Exist about important stuff and something about a Scepter. Way to include me, guys."

"It's not like that," Michael said quickly, "You just don't know all the things we do and we know some things in confidence, your father himself told us not to talk about the thing to other people. You're better off not knowing anyway."

"That makes me feel so much better, I thought we were friends."

"We are!" Scorpius protested in panic and Reuben or Angelo gave a loud snore in their sleep, remind Scorpius it wasn't the best place to discuss anything when they could wake up at any moment, "Look, let's talk about this tomorrow."

"Yeah so you two go off and have your chat then but we will talk about this tomorrow," Albus grunted and stepped aside, gesturing for them to go past. Scorpius exchanged a look with Michael before complying as they now also needed to talk about what to do about Albus, leaving the dormitory where it occurred to him that he'd grabbed his wand but not something equally important.

"The map," Scorpius muttered to Michael and went to turn back to get it, Albus was in the doorway again except facing them with a familiar piece of parchment in his hand.

"You mean this map?" Albus questioned and Scorpius felt a stab of shock for the second time in five minutes, "Yes, I know about it. That time you ran down to blast Ashain with a Patronus in your pajamas, you left this in plain view right by your bedside. I just didn't say anything because I figured you would tell me about it in your own time since we're supposed to be friends and all."

"I erm..." Scorpius trailed off, what was he supposed to say to that?

"I'm not stupid," Albus said, his voice cracking as if he was holding back tears, "Just because I'm not good at anything, it doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"We know, of course you're not stupid," Michael offered and Albus carelessly tossed the map at them, tears leaking from his eyes.

"If you don't th-think I'm st-st-stupid then why-why d-d-don't y-you tr-trust m-me? I-I'm jus-just n-not g-g-good en-enough f-for y-y-y-anyone!" Albus cried, his voice devolving into sobs before he fled back into the dormitory. Michael looked at Scorpius and Scorpius looked at Michael.

"Well, we sure fucked up there."


	29. IV: Jittery

_**Thanks to:** Guest Reviewer and A Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Are we going to see more of Roman in present (book) time soon?_**  
_You'll see him at Christmas in-story, I thought of doing a segment with him, Varanian and Wyatt but it wouldn't be very interesting or plotty so will have to wait till Christmas before you see him in the present  
_

_**Author's Note:** Sorry this is short and more of a filler, gearing up for some important things though so just stay with me_

* * *

_Roman was picked up from the station by Audrey and Percy - was it really necessary for Percy to be there to pick up his fiancée's brother? - where he again didn't hug his sister and so began his week of wedding hell. He was dragged to be fitted for dress robes, had to endure meals with the Weasleys, constant wedding babble, having to stay at the Burrow for the wedding night and Percy drunk out of his mind after being dragged away for a bachelor night by his brothers. Audrey did nothing of the sort though, no respectable child of Magnus Rivers would allow themselves to get into that state. Audrey had no friends anyway, being on friendly terms with co-workers and Weasleys was different to being friends._

_The only upside was being able to see photographs of his parents again, there was a lot more pictures of his mother as Mavis had not been camera shy. Magnus had permitted a picture to be taken on their wedding day though and another that he'd sent Mavis when she'd requested to know what he looked like before agreeing to marry him, that along with the family photo literally made just three of Magnus. He wasn't smiling in any of them, he had the same serious look that Audrey frequently had and the same look Roman would recognize from the mirror. Roman didn't mind though, Magnus had rarely smiled so it captured his essence better and only made him look more powerful. He wondered what they'd think of Audrey marrying Percy. Thinking of his father made him recall the letter in the secret room for the first time, in the wake of death it hadn't ranked high on his mind but now he thought about it. Hadn't the letter been addressed to a supposed future grandchild with the last name of 'Weasley'?_

_He still didn't like Audrey marrying Percy. Percy had murdered his friend and turned his sister against him, it was unforgivable. The wedding was to be held at the Burrow in a set up outside, Roman was stuck helping with the decorating which he much preferred to having to be around people. There still seemed a lot of people, despite mentions it was smaller than Bill's wedding due to Audrey not wanting - or knowing - that many people there._ _The only good thing was her. Luna. Wearing a jaw-dropping bright yellow dress, she shone with the radiance of the sun in her beauty with a sunflower tucked away behind her ear. She literally took his breath away, his mind forgot to breathe for a moment when he saw her. _

_It was a dreadful day, rain soaking everything in an otherwise sunny week. Roman was forced to hang around the crowd who seemed much more interested in meeting Harry Potter than anything else, not that Roman minded but he still hated boring, stuffy people with useless small talk. He hated being around people in general, his heard was thundering like the sky outside and he found himself skimming close to the Weasleys. He got stuck sitting with the scar-faced Weasley brother and his extremely pregnant wife through the immensely boring ceremony, why people got married or had children was beyond him. He vowed to do neither._

_It was painful to watch his sister giving herself away to such a horrible person, losing everything she had left of who she was. He felt himself choking up as he watched his sister walking away from him, the last few steps she'd take as Audrey Abia Rivers before becoming just another 'Mrs Weasley'. It was like his sister was dying and being replaced by someone else, there'd be no chance for her to ever apologize or for her to ever break free of Percy's control to be herself and be there for him again. That was it, she was dying. He couldn't watch another family member dying. Roman slipped away from his seat and fled, pushing himself to a run. He didn't have anywhere to go though, he just ran. He was unable to even see through his tears, mingling with the snot dribbling down his nose and the pelting rain hammering down upon him. He only stopped when he couldn't run anymore, his lungs burned out from the unusual heavy exercise and the stitch in his side tearing him up._

_He collapsed onto the muddy ground, probably ruining his dress robes and it was dirty and disgusting but he didn't care. He pulled himself up to his knees as his stomach lurched, bile spewing out before he could stop it which he also blamed on running or the situation. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and then wrapped his arms around himself protectively from the rain, his body still shaking but whether from vomiting, the cold or something else, he didn't now. He didn't care as he cried in the rain. His parents. His brother. His sister. Why did everyone he loved leave him all alone? He hated being alone so much. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he was back in his nice neat home with his siblings, loving, adoring mother and his unfaltering father. They'd never have let any series of events occur that would wind up with him kneeling in the muddy ground in the middle of nowhere in the freezing rain all alone. He didn't even have Enas to cuddle. He'd been happy before, he'd been happy, he'd been loved. Why did all that have to go away? Why did everything have to be ruined? Why did he have to be alone? Roman cried and the sky cried with him._

* * *

"You can say that again," Scorpius muttered as he scooped up the map and headed off with Michael, desperate to speak but unwilling to until they were safely within the room and not in a public forum. He did feel guilty now for not telling Albus anything but he had a good reason, Varanian's life would be at stake if Albus' father ever got a hold of him. Scorpius blurted out the question while Michael was still closing the door to the room, "What should we do about Albus?

"Honestly? I think we should just tell him," Michael offered as he ran a hand through his unruly mane of hair, "And not just because now I feel guilty. He knows about the map and he heard us mention the Scepter, it'd be easier to just tell him instead of him just finding out things on his own. He is our friend, I think we can trust him."

"But what about Varanian? I don't know if Albus even believes in his innocence."

"You told me when I wasn't sure if I believed in his innocence," Michael pointed out, "Besides, we don't have to tell him about Varanian. Just the Scepter, map and whatever you wanted to tell me that was super important today."

"We'd have to mention Varanian, he's the one who told us about the Scepter being in the school."

"Even if we did tell him about Varanian, you don't need to blurt out his location which is the only way it'd put him at risk."

"Fair point. How about I tell you what happened first and then we discuss whether we should tell Albus?" Scorpius offered, realizing that Michael wouldn't even be aware of what he was divulging otherwise. Michael sat and gestured for him to do so, Scorpius explained everything had had happened with Professor Ashain and realizing the truth while Michael listened patiently, "So what do you think?"

"I think I feel bad for Ashain's kids, their mum walking out and now their dad's possessed," Michael sighed, "Have you told Varanian yet?"

"No, I can't really give the right amount of detail with the ring."

"He might know something, if the Shadows have figured out a way to improve Specters than he might know about it. Or if there's a new threat that has a better way of possessing people than he might know about that. Or he might even know more about possession, he was possessed by a Specter so he'd know what it's like too."

"I guess I'll need Cassia again," Scorpius admitted as he also sat, he sighed, "I think we should tell Albus too. This thing with Professor Ashain isn't really anything to do with Varanian so it's not betraying him and it's just hurting Albus."

"You should take him with you next time you go after midnight wandering to the bathroom, if we'd told Albus from the start then you could've done that anyway and everyone would find it harder to shrug off two students seeing it."

"If we're telling Albus then I think we should tell Molly too, I think she deserves it," Scorpius said truthfully, maybe she'd be less disappointed if she knew _why_ he'd gotten banned from the first game. She was good at not asking or pushing him but he knew she wanted to know, plus he'd been debating whether to tell her everything or not since she'd asked, "And Latimer. He already knows about the map and I'll have to tell him something when he asks why I had him researching possession."

"Abby and Rose, if Albus knows then it's hardly fair to keep it from them too," Michael added.

"Maurice we should tell, he already knows about the Scepter and us being in contact with Varanian. Plus he does know a lot about magic and everything."

"We might as well just gather everyone and tell them all, Albus, Abby, Rose, Maurice, Orous, Vern, Corin, Molly, Latimer and Mirra."

"Not Mirra," Scorpius disagreed immediately, already thinking that was too many people and Michael scowled angrily.

"Why not Mirra? She's my girlfriend."

"I don't even know her."

"Well I do! She's trustworthy, and smart and helpful," Michael protested defensively.

"I still don't know her."

"So what?! So only people that you know counts?! My judgment isn't good enough for you now that I'm a werewolf?! What I think doesn't matter anymore?!" Michael yelled at him, his mood shifting dramatically as he jumped to his feet, Scorpius could only sit there in surprise, "Why do you even bother telling me these things if my opinion is invalid?! You just think you're better than everyone else?! That you know better than everyone else?! That you know everything?!"

"Michael, I-"

"Whatever! You always get your own damn way!" Michael snorted and stalked out of the room without another word.

Scorpius sat there in still stunned silence for a moment at being yelled at before grabbing the map to hurry after him, he glanced at it quickly to make sure the coast was clear. It wasn't, Michael's dot was heading straight for 'Astor Koray' - the Astronomy professor - who was moving down a corridor that would intersect. Scorpius rushed to get there in time to warn Michael but even as he did so, he knew he wouldn't make it in time. He saw Michael's dot and Professor Koray's meet and halted, watching the professor lead the caught Michael away. Glumly, Scorpius returned to his dormitory. That had definitely not gone as planned.

"Are you awake, Al?" Scorpius questioned into the darkness, wanting to clear the air and apologize for keeping him in the dark until now but he got no reply.

Scorpius sighed heavily and got into bed miserably, unable to fall asleep with worry for his relationship with his friends. Was he being a bad friend? Or a bad boyfriend for that matter with Molly? Or a bad ally with Varanian? Was he just bad in general to be around? He could feel his insecurity coiling around his gut. He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know how to be a good friend. He didn't know how to be a good boyfriend. He didn't know how to be a good ally in fighting the Soul Eaters. He didn't even know how to save Professor Ashain. He just tried to do his best on all fronts although clearly he was failing, he'd managed to upset Latimer and now Albus and clearly he was failing to help Michael if he was attacking himself and yelling at him. Was he wrong to discount Mirra? In a world where Shadow spies could be anywhere, he had to be careful. He was clearly failing with Molly, she was disappointed in him and they'd never made-out like Michael and Mirra so he had was doing something wrong if couples were supposed to make out a few weeks after starting to date, he'd been with Molly for months. And then with Varanian and fighting the Shadows... What did he contribute, really? If anything, Varanian just wasted his time telling him things and teaching him things.

For a dark, depressing moment, Scorpius thought of that moment when he'd been on his knees with Marvin about to take his life. Would it have been better if Scorpius had died and Marvin had lived? Scorpius would've died with a pure white soul instead of surviving to screw everyone else's lives up. There was his family, his grandfather would still be alive for having never sacrificed himself, and his parents probably preferred him to die then deal with their pathetic ruined son. There was his family, Orous would never have had to have the magic torn from his soul, Michael probably would've had a happy experience in Hogwarts instead of being scarred and turned to the thing he hated most, Molly would probably be much happier with Nick because he was better than Scorpius in every way. The Shadow Master wouldn't have been revived if Scorpius died, the world would quite literally be a better place if Marvin could've just succeeded in shooting him. He couldn't change the past though, just keep on trying to help... And failing. Leebin was right, Scorpius did not like failing.

"Hey Scorpius?" Michael voice questioned and tore Scorpius from his unhappy thoughts.

"Yeah?" Scorpius croaked, not realizing how close he'd been to crying.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, I just... get frustrated and... I don't know, I don't even know what I was saying, I'm sorry," Michael apologized guiltily and awkwardly as Scorpius sat up.

"It's okay, I'd rather you lash out at me then yourself," Scorpius shrugged it off truthfully, he'd rather be yelled at than Michael attack himself as a werewolf to relieve the feeling, "We all get frustrated sometimes. I'm sorry too."

"And I get it, about Mirra. I won't tell her if you don't want me too but we should still fill in Albus before the rift becomes so wide it swallows us all."

"Yeah. Still... Maybe I was unfair. How about we only tell people that we both agree on?"

"Okay," Michael agreed with a weak smile.

"Am I still agreed on?" Albus' voice wondered distantly from his unusually drape-enclosed bed.

"Yes," Scorpius confirmed, "We'll fill you in tomorrow."

"But only if you get some sleep, it is way past your bedtime and you have a hard enough time getting up as it is," Michael chastised in a lighter tone.

"Yes, Mother," Albus chimed up as he'd often said in the past, sounding much more like himself. They all laughed.

* * *

_"Roman!"_

_Roman jolted up at the sound of his name, not realizing he'd been asleep. He rather wised he hadn't been woken, he was lying on the muddy ground and soaked through to his soul. He shivered violently as the rain unrelentingly continued battering his small body. Actually he wasn't sure he had been asleep, maybe he'd just passed out. At any rate, it was awful._

_"Roman!" the voice snapped much closer and he realized it was Percy, the Weasley wore a look of false concern as he fell to his knees in the mud beside Roman. Apparently taking in his appearance because he removed his suit jacket, wrapping it around Roman and started rubbing it to try warm him up._

_"D-D-Don-Supos-Wedd-" Roman tried to form a coherent sentence to ask why he wasn't at the wedding - he was pretty sure attending your own wedding was important - but his chattering teeth made it an impossible task._

_"Come on now, we'll get you back to the Burrow and get you all warmed up," Percy said in a gentler tone than Roman had ever expected of him, "Can you walk?"_

_Roman simply nodded and Percy helped him to his feet, his knees were shaking so much that knocked together frequently. Percy kept his arm around him, maybe to stop him fleeing again or maybe to keep him upright. As much as Roman despised being so physically close to Percy, he wasn't sure he could slog his trembling limbs through the mud in the face of the stabbing rain and burning wind. He just kept his head hung low and focused on putting one numb foot in front of the other, he was sure Percy was speaking but the words were lost in the wind. They reached the Burrow at some point, Roman wasn't sure how long it took or how far away he'd initially managed to run._

_He was pounced upon immediately by Audrey and Mrs Weasley, a change of clothes, someone toweled his hair dry, bundled in blankets and put in front of a roaring fire. Roman felt rather out of it all and everything passed in a blur, he vaguely remembered Audrey cuddling him but that might've been a dream because the new Mrs Weasley wouldn't care about him at all anymore. The warmth finally started to seep back into his body though, with his strength returning, so did the anger. Audrey yelled at him for running off into the terrible weather like that, where he could've 'caught his death' and had her 'worried sick'. Roman thought she was probably more upset about having her wedding ruined, he couldn't decide whether he felt bad or not. He holed himself up in the room he'd been given to sleep in in the Burrow for a few days, curled up on his bed in bleak hopelessness._

_"Roman?" a familiar and very welcome dreamy voice called with an accompanying knock, "Can I come in?"_

_"Yes," Roman agreed and sat up immediately, trying to smooth his hair and clothes to look nicer for some inexplicable reason as Luna came in, "What's up-How do you-Hi."_

_"Hi," Luna echoed with a kindly smile and didn't comment on his mid-sentence changes as he attempted to say the most proper thing to impress her, "How are you doing?"_

_"G-Good," Roman lied, not wanting her to think lowly of him for being unhappy and having issues, "How are thing-you?"_

_"I just came to say goodbye."_

_"Goodbye?" Roman repeated anxiously._

_"Yes, you know I was becoming a Wizarding Naturalist and wanted to study Magizoology. I'm going to travel the world in search of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack and other new creatures, there's a group of us leaving tonight."_

_"Sounds fun, write if you find anything interesting," Roman offered with an attempt at a false smile but feeling his heart slowly shrivel up and die inside at the thought of her leaving forever, everyone always left him one way or another. People were cruel creatures, if they weren't outright cruel then they just cursed him in the back as they walked away, "Bye Luna, good luck."_

_"Bye Roman, take care of yourself," Luna offered as she left. Roman waited until her footsteps had retreated entirely before throwing himself onto his bed to cry._

_The wedding wasn't cancelled though, they just had it a few days later instead. This time much less fancy decor, only home cooked food - thankfully none by Audrey - and a severely shortened guest list. Except for the absence of Luna, Roman much preferred the lack of people to scare him but still hated the fact the wedding was happening. It was also on a nicer day but still in the Burrow and on a special day too, the two-year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Roman was once again stuck with the scar-faced and pregnant Weasleys but he thought the scary scar guy was glancing at him an unusual amount of times, as if he was keeping an eye on Roman. It made his already pounding heart twist painfully in apprehension, so much so that he was barely paying attention to the wedding but on the two Weasleys either side of him._

_The pregnant one didn't seem to be paying attention either, she looked in pain. Roman was starting to wonder if her husband was looking at her too and making her nervous, until liquid randomly started dripping from her chair. Roman jumped up in surprise and the scarred Weasley grabbed his arm, did they think he was going to run again? He pointed to the pregnant woman._

_"I don't want to get wee-wee on me," Roman complained to the scarred one and jabbed an accusing finger at her, "Your wife just wet herself."_

_"I theenk my water just broke," the pregnant one confirmed in her thick French accent, he supposed that must be what they called it in France._

_To his surprise though, Roman was shoved aside and the pregnant one became the center of attention. The baby was arriving apparently, he thought she must have wet herself in fear for childbirth being painful. Another reason to never have kids, if the Weasley really loved his wife then he wouldn't want her to be hurt by having to go through childbirth and wouldn't have made her be pregnant. The wedding was again ruined though, Roman was dragged along with the Weasleys and a few others to St Mungo's Hospital while the guests presumably got to go home. Roman was stuck waiting for hours with the majority of the Weasley clan except for the scarred one and his parents, he liked the cleanliness but not the amount of people._

_"Can we go home, Aud?" Roman pleaded after a while._

_"No," Audrey told him firmly._

_"There's a new Weasley joining the world, family should be here," Percy insisted without stopping his pacing although Roman thought he did seem a bit disappointed at his wedding being ruined again._

_"Me and Audrey aren't family," Roman pointed out, somewhat hopeful that they'd get to leave and Percy froze on the spot._

_"Aud, can I talk to you for a minute in private?" Percy asked of his bride-to-be and Audrey gave him a bemused look but obliged. Roman went back to being bored, the others were mostly talking to each other or doting on the metamorphmagi toddler. Percy and Audrey returned after a minute, holding hands as Percy cleared his throat to get their attention, "We're getting married."_

_"Gee, really? So all that wasn't an elaborate and unusual celebration to welcome the newest Weasley into the family?" the one-eared Weasley joked._

_"No, I mean today," Percy elaborated and flicked his wand to conjure a piece of paper, it was very official looking but 'wedding license' was all that Roman managed to get without moving closer._

_"Not going to try for third time lucky?" the dragon person Weasley wondered._

_"I'm a twin, two's the lucky one," Audrey pointed out as she conjured a pen and signed her name, handing it to Percy who also signed it. The man who'd been marrying the pair shuffled over to them in surprise and asked for witnesses to sign it, Harry Potter and Charlie Weasley happened to be closest and signed it before Mr Weasley came bolting breathlessly into the room._

_"It's a girl! A healthy baby girl!" Mr Weasley announced excitedly as the Weasleys collectively vocalized their approval. And so two Weasleys joined the family and Roman lost another River. He stared at his feet, feeling suddenly as cold and alone as he had the first wedding day in the rain._


	30. IV: Tells and Tales

_**Thanks to**: Gexorian, Leandriel-Whitestorm and A Guest for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_How can Rose be so shallow as to constantly criticise latimer's appearance and Michael's last book but, be interested in Michael now?_**  
_It's partly because she got over Michael's scars, his behavior during the werewolf attack and then saving them from Greyback really made her see his good qualities shine and she stopped seeing/caring about his scars but still has a problem with other people's looks if she doesn't know or care about (like she frequently critiscizes Latimer but has never said anything on Maurice's scars). It's also partly because she liked that Michael liked her even when she wasn't interested in him and now he doesn't and is with Mirra (and because her boyfriend ran off and left her die in the werewolf attack), she feels insecure that she's not likeable or attractive anymore and wants Michael's attention to prove she is still. She also rather misses having a boyfriend in general because she hasn't been single much of book II or book III_

**_Will that (Albus' low self esteem) change a little?_**  
_As I've said, Albus will have a bigger role in this book than previous book and being included and feeling more like he's living up to his father's legacy will start to improve on his self esteem_

_**They're making something similar to Dumbledore's Army aren't they?** _  
_Not really, its not a club and they aren't actively training people up to fight and its only the people Scorpius trusts/is friends with not an open invitation to everyone, its more like Harry telling Ron and Hermione things he discovered about whatever the plot of the book was since they weren't always with him for everything. I guess it would be more like the Order of the Phoenix, they're kind of in the know and part of Varanian's efforts but the adults (Varanian, Wyatt, Roman or the Order Dumbledore, Remus, Sirius, etc.) are the ones doing things at the moment_

_**How's he (Roman) going to react to Wyatt?**_  
_Not well, Roman is slow to trust and someone excitable and talkative is not his idea of good company anyway. Plus Wyatt's animagi ability freaks him out_

_**Author's Note:** I'm sorry this took so long, I did warn that going through in more detail for spelling/grammar errors may cause delays because I have a habit of second guessing myself, deciding it sucks, deleting it and starting from scratch. It's been a rough week and I've done that a lot unfortunately, now I feel bad because we passed 123 reviews _

* * *

_Roman felt most unfortunate with the turn of events, although he held nothing against the baby - named Victoire Fleur Weasley from being born on the victory of the Second Wizarding War and after her mother - who couldn't help being born. However it was the end of the holidays so he didn't have to deal with any of it, for once he was almost glad to be back on the way to Hogwarts and managed to get a compartment by himself that time. He soon wished he was back home with the amount of people and bullying pressuring his poor heart. Home or Hogwarts, he was trapped in a life with no good options or places to be unless he retreated into his mind where he clung to the fragments of happy memories or his imagination with fantasies of better things and Luna or books. She was true to her word about writing to him, her letters were even more infrequent than Audrey's - he thought she only wrote when she'd actually found something - but often came with pictures of the creatures and things that fascinated her. He treasured every picture - especially the ones that included Luna - and reread the letters, mostly informative about the creatures but it was the closest thing he had to a friend._

_He couldn't reply to her though, she was out of the country and Hogwarts owls - which he had to use because Smokey was a cat not an owl - were only allowed to be used with the UK. He still didn't reply to any of Audrey's letters either and often put off reading them, he wasn't even sure if she was sister anymore. Percy had turned her against him and destroyed her personality to make her who he wanted her to be, only the mere shell of herself remained. He again got decent marks for the end of year exams and then it was back on the train, miraculously managing to get a compartment by himself this time where he could just sit stroking Smokey. Percy was there to pick him again with Audrey, Percy smiled in greeting but Roman didn't return it. He was glad when he could just curl up in bed and wish himself into a better life._

_He was destined to not get any peace in his life however, Roman was sure Percy only spent so much with his family to make up for abandoning them. Unfortunately this also put Percy's new wife with them and by extension Roman too, he hated being at the family gatherings with the Weasleys. He felt like an outsider looking in on a one big, loud happy family but it wasn't his family. He didn't belong there, he wasn't part of it but rather just... there while everyone else talked, joked and laughed. He didn't know what to say, he didn't understand the jokes - Audrey also seemed to have trouble with this - and couldn't laugh. It was like being at the Slytherin table at Hogwarts, except most people had red hair and they were slightly less evil. He didn't know why he had to be there, it made him feel even worse to be around them because it reminded him of something he was sorely lacking. He wanted his own family. He frequently took the family portrait into his room and gazed at it for hours, craving the closeness he's once felt with them. What he wouldn't give anything for them to be alive, to have his mother hold him so tight and tell him he was loved as she kissed him goodnight. He needed the picture, otherwise he just tended to see her corpse dancing at the Death Eater's spell._

_"C'mon, Roman," the one-eared George said to him, pulling Roman from the book he'd been trying to read while the Weasleys were talking and cooing over baby Victoire as she tried to roll over. George and Ron had apparently come over to him though._

_"Is dinner ready?" Roman asked._

_"No."_

_"Okay," Roman nodded and went back to reading, only to have it pulled from his hand, "Hey!"_

_"There's more to life than books, c'mon we're going to do something fun," George insisted and Roman felt filled with dread._

_"Reading is fun for me. Please, give me back my book."_

_"Not until you come with us," Ron volunteered and Roman sighed heavily as he went with the two men outside into the spectacular chaotic mess they had for a backyard, "You learned to fly, didn't you? In Hogwarts?"_

_"Yes, of course," Roman confirmed while George retrieved three brooms from one of the out-buildings, not wanting them to think he was incompetent in case they decided he would be an easy target to murder, "But I don't want to fly right now, I'd rather read my book."_

_"Since we're family now and all, we're going to teach you Quidditch," George offered, "Family tradition."_

_"How are we family?"_

_"Perce married your sister, which makes her our sister and you our brother."_

_"I'm pretty sure that's not true," Roman pointed out with a scowl as George tossed him a broom that Roman barely managed to catch and almost dropped several times, George tossed a second to Ron, "And I don't want to play your silly broomstick game, teach Audrey."_

_"Tried," Ron admitted, "She can't even fly though."_

_"The broom hit in her face every time she tried to get it off the ground," George added, looking almost amused at his sister's pain._

_"And then whenever she tried to kick off, she just fell over."_

_"And then whenever she actually managed to stay in the air, she fell off."_

_"And then Percy insisted we stop before his new wife was completely battered."_

_"Not the most naturally Flying inclined, your sister. But let's give it a go with you, eh? It's fun, I promise you or your money back."_

_"I didn't give you any money," Roman complained and George rolled his eyes._

_"Just do it, okay? Need a new brother since this one's ditching me to go play Auror."_

_"I'm not ditching you, I just-" Ron started to protest._

_"Yadda, yadda, yadda. C'mon, Roman, show us what you got. Unless you're scared of course."_

_"I'm not scared," Roman insisted stubbornly as he got onto the broom and kicked off, rising a few feet into the air like he'd managed in Hogwarts. He smiled proudly to himself at remembering how as they joined him, one on either side, "See? I'm pretty good, right? Can I have my book back now?"_

_"This is nothing, you need to fly higher than that in Quidditch!" Ron told him seriously._

_"I don't like flying high, I don't want to fall and die. This is as high as I'll go."_

_"You need to worry less," George offered before smirking, "You thinking what I'm thinking, Ron?"_

_"Unless it's about dinner than probably not," Ron said._

_George mouthed something to Ron - which was most rude with Roman in the middle - and pointed at Roman's broom, Ron looked confused for a moment before seeing to get... whatever it was. Roman opened his mouth to ask why before a hand from each snaked out and grabbed the handle of his broom. They then shot straight up onto the air, taking Roman with them as he screamed in terror and closed his eyes. They stopped and Roman hugged the broom, shaking from fear as they let go._

_"Let me down, I don't like being up high!" Roman cried._

_"It's no different to being further down."_

_"C'mon, just open your eyes," George insisted._

_"If you really still don't like it then we can come down."_

_Roman was breathing heavily now, his heart beating ferociously fearfully in his chest but he couldn't see another way out of it. He opened his eyes just a crack, seeing nothing but blue sky in front of him so he pushed them open further. And gaped in amazement, the view was incredible. A sea of green fields stretching out in every direction, segments of trees that looked like clumps of wool and the Burrow itself, which looked rather like a bizarre doll's house. Why had he been worried about falling? He had the same control that he had lower down, just with a better view. He could handle this. And it was actually kind of nice and freeing to feel the wind blowing through his hair as he hovered in the sky._

_"You okay?" Ron asked, sounding slightly concerned now._

_"Okay," Roman nodded as he tore his eyes from the scene, "So what do I need to do for this broomstick game?"_

* * *

Scorpius knew he shouldn't have even attempted to think of Marvin, he had an uncomfortable nightmare-filled night and was more than glad when Michael roused him from his latest terror at the earlier hour that Michael got up. Albus also was up surprisingly early and seemed in a better mood again, it was odd being down to breakfast o early, Scorpius didn't get up late but it was mostly empty. Maurice was there already, reading the paper and sipping from a mug in such an adult way that it surprised him to remember that Maurice was merely thirteen. They joined him and Michael tapped his arm to get his attention, he put his hand on his translator necklace to listen to them.

"Anything good in the paper?" Albus commented conversationally.

"Another werewolf killed," Maurice stated bluntly and Albus made a disgruntled sound.

"I asked if there was anything _good_. Not... death...y and morbid."

"There's never anything good in a war, Albus," Maurice pointed out seriously and Albus sighed.

"Why did I think there could ever be a conversation with you that didn't involve weirdness? So when-"

"Can I sit with you?" a small voice asked and Scorpius jumped in surprise at Antonius' stealthy approach.

"Sure," Scorpius agreed and Antonius slid in beside him unhappily with the dog beside him.

"Why do you agree to these things?" Albus complained with Antonius' arrival but Scorpius was more focused on Antonius' melancholy mood and the strange looks he was giving his father, "We can't talk freely in front of the little kids."

"Something wrong, Antonius?"

"No," Antonius lied and looked away, "It's just nothing."

"Then it doesn't matter if you tell me," Scorpius prompted uncertainly.

"Just this weird thing with my Dad," Antonius tried to shrug it off.

"What weird thing?" Michael pressed when Antonius didn't elaborate and the smaller boy shifted uncomfortable before apparently deciding to give in as he sighed.

"Last night, I got up to get a glass of water. When I went out of my room, I saw that Dad was standing by the exit door but doing nothing so I asked him why he was doing that. And he got weird..." Antonius explained, looking hurt and confused, "He told me to go to bed but he did it in a weird voice and when I asked why he talked in a weird voice, he told me to go to bed or he'd hurt me. So I went back to bed but I couldn't sleep and I don't know why he was mean like that and I got scared he didn't love me anymore like Mum and I started crying. It was light by now and he came in when he heard me crying to comfort me, sounding normal again and when I told him what happened, he said I must have been having a bad dream and that never happened."

"Well there you go, you need to worry less," Albus told the boy brightly with a cheery smile that Scorpius thought was probably meant to be consoling but came across more as demented. Michael exchanged a look with Scorpius, clearly thinking along the same lines as it being the possessor that Antonius had spoken to. Clearly it still had a hold over Professor Ashain."

"And he called me something weird too, like pathis passis, pathis pais? Something like that."

"Pathos pais?" Maurice commented abruptly and Antonius nodded, Maurice scowled, "That's Ancient Greek, he called you a suffering or diseased child."

"I didn't know Ashain spoke Greek," Albus mused while Antonius looked on the verge of tears, he buried his face in his hands.

"He didn't mean it," Michael added to Antonius quickly, "Your Dad was probably sleepwalking and having a weird dream, that's why he thinks it never happened."

"I don't think it's that," Antonius muttered and Scorpius opened his mouth to also add something comforting but stopped himself. What was he supposed to say? 'Don't worry about your Dad, he's just possessed by some weird evil thing and we don't know how to save him'. Although the Ancient Greek was interesting, did the Shadow Master know Ancient Greek? Or was it something else, the Scepter was from Ancient Greece.

"It'll be okay," Scorpius lied as he patted Antonius on the shoulder. He really did suck at comforting people.

"Thanks," Antonius said as he lowered his hands, not looking the slightest bit convinced as he stood, "I'm not hungry but thanks anyway."

"What a weird kid," Albus pointed out as the boy left with his dog, "And kinda sad but anyways, when are we going to get into the cool stuff?"

"Not at the breakfast table," Scorpius told him, thinking it was fairly obvious they couldn't discuss it in public, "Even though there's not really anyone near us."

"Guessing Maurice is going to be in on it?"

"Yep."

"You're telling Abby and Rose too, right? I already told Abby at about the m-a-p."

"You told her?!" Michael wondered in surprise while Maurice just looked confused.

"Yeah, she's the one who said to not say anything and trust that Scor would tell us when we were ready. I didn't tell Rose though, I figured she'd just storm over to you and demand answers. You'd know if Rose knows. But I didn't tell anyone else."

"Am I missing something?" Maurice asked in confusion.

"Yes but we'll fill you in later," Scorpius explained and they went back to small talk as they waited for the others too arrived, the girls came first and Corin begrudgingly later. He waited until their food was nearly done, "So there are some important things that we need to tell you... Shadow-related things."

"I told you, Al," Abby pointed out happily, "Patience."

"No," Rose snapped immediately with an angry expression, "Whatever it is, just forget about it."

"Are you mad? We need to know as much as possible if we're going to fight the Shadows," Maurice said as if it was obvious.

"No, Maurice! We're _not_ bloody soldiers, it's _not_ our responsibility to fight the Shadows," Rose insisted, looking upset, "We're _teenagers_. We're supposed to just be worrying about homework and studying and how we look, not defeating the Darkest Wizard of our generation and his army of nightmares!"

"You'll die with that attitude, we need to-"

"No, we won't! I trust my Dad, I trust my Uncle Harry, I trust my Mum, they can deal with this and then everything will be back to normal. We're just teenagers, it's so far beyond us and you're just so screwed up in the head that you just can't see it! And the rest of you, do you not remember what it felt like to have those runes brand you? What it felt like to be possessed by one of those things? What it was like watching werewolves attacking everyone? How can you possibly want to willingly put yourself into those dangerous situations without even having OWL level magic?! You're the ones who'll die with that attitude!"

"Coward," Maurice commented casually and in a single swift motion, Rose slapped him across the face. The crack of skin echoed and a look of utter bewilderment crossed his face.

"You can all die if you want but don't take me down with you! I can't... I can't deal with that," Rose spat out before stalking off.

"Did... Did she just slap me?" Maurice wondered as if still trying to grasp such an event had occurred, he touched his probably stinging cheek cautiously with his free hand.

"Yep," Albus confirmed with a smirk, "It's not quite funny actually."

"You would think that," Maurice grumbled with a scowl, "Want me to get Orous and Vern?"

"Sure," Scorpius agreed and looked around for Molly and Latimer while Maurice went over to the Hufflepuff table, they weren't there yet, "No Molly and Latimer though."

"Sanford," a voice said and Scorpius spun back to see Professor Koray had approached, "Elwood will see you now if you're done with breakfast."

"Err... Yeah," Michael agreed as he stood much to the others' confusion, "Got in trouble for being out after curfew, I'll catch up with you later. Start without me."

Scorpius frowned at this, he'd kind of been hoping that Michael would be there. He took a bathroom break to check the map for Molly and Latimer, Latimer was in his dormitory and Molly in the Prefect's bathroom which were both places he couldn't get to. Well, he could get to Latimer's dormitory but considering how Latimer was probably sleeping due to the lack of movement, he doubted Latimer would want to be woken up. Rose had gone back to her own dormitory as well. He'd have to tell them at some other point, he really wished Michael was there though, he was a bit nervous. After breakfast he led Abby, Albus, Maurice, Corin, Orous and Vern to the Room That Doesn't Exist, much to Abby, Albus' and Corin's surprise. The other three were either better at hiding it or new more about it than the others.

Michael usually thought up the room so Scorpius hoped his came out all right, he'd envisioned a Drawing Room from Malfoy Manor since they were supposed to be used for entertaining larger people and he knew it well. It still surprised him to see just how perfectly it mirrored his thoughts, the same dark purple walls, marble mantelpiece and even the large crystal chandelier was perfectly replicated. He gestured for them to sit down and closed the door behind them, feeling nervous again.

"So... So I'm going to tell you some important things with the Shadows that needs to stay within this room, anyone who doesn't want to have to know can just leave now," Scorpius offered and to his surprise, Corin stood.

"I'm out then," Corin said, "I really don't have time for this but good look and stuff."

"Okay," Scorpius nodded, Corin gave him an apologetic look then glanced back to Abby miserably before leaving. Scorpius wondered if he was leaving because he didn't want to be around Abby since she'd broken up with him, or because he didn't want to know, "Okay, so first let me tell you about the Marauder's Map which some of you already know about..."

* * *

Michael left with Koray, the professor had explained the previous night that he wasn't allowed to punish him without the Headmaster's approval but Elwood didn't like being woken so he'd have to wait. Once, the thought of being in trouble terrified him due to being afraid of getting kicked out of Hogwarts or another torturous detention but it didn't bother him now. Painful detentions felt like nothing compared to being a werewolf and Hogwarts was hardly the paradise he'd once admired. He turned the stone over in his pocket to summon Nick to him, he'd been curious to see Elwood.

"Godric's Hollow," Koray said to the gargoyle and it obediently moved aside to let them get up the staircase, Koray knocked on the door into the Headmaster's office.

"You may enter," Elwood's voice called from the other side and they went in to the room buried in portraits.

"You see that guy there?" Nick said and jerked his finger to the sleeping portrait of a wizard with a long flowing silvery beard, "That's _the_ Albus Dumbledore. You should try summoning him, it'd be awesome to meet him. One of the greatest wizards of the time, probably would still be one of the greatest these days too. And that greasy-haired guy next to him is Severus Snape, my Dad used to be scared of him but he was also important in the war with Voldemort."

"Would you like to sit down, Mr Sanford?" Elwood offered and Michael tore his eyes from Nick to sit in front of the scarred Headmaster, Nick turned to watch the exchange curiously while Elwood smiled at him, "So Mr Koray here tells me that you were out of bed last night."

"Yes, Sir," Michael admitted hesitantly, not seeing the point in lying after already being caught.

"Well now, Michael, may I call you Michael?"

"Erm... Sure.

"Now, Michael, I don't want you to think that we at Hogwarts are discriminating against you for your condition but there is a curfew and being out after it is against the rules of the school. Do you think that you can understand that?"

"Erm... Yeah, I know the school rules. So what's my punishment?"

"Well I think we can let you off with a warning, I'd like you to know that we at Hogwarts are not discriminating against you in any way."

"You're not giving me a punishment for knowingly breaking a rule?" Michael wondered incredulously.

"Shh... Michael, do you _want_ to get in trouble?" Nick complained.

"Of course not, we at Hogwarts do not believe in discrimination against those... humanity-challenged individuals like yourself," Elwood told him, still with a smile firmly in place.

"You can't be serious, you're not going to punish him for breaking a rule just because he's a werewolf?" Koray wondered in shock and Michael was forced to agree.

"Any discriminatory opinions on the part of Mr Koray are his own personal beliefs and not a reflection of Hogwarts' attitudes. Prejudice is not tolerated, Mr Koray."

"It's not prejudice, its treating all the students equally. I'd give any student a detention for being out of bed, werewolf or not - heck, I'd give my own son one!"

"Your presence is no longer necessary, Mr Koray, you're dismissed," Elwood said coolly, Koray did not look happy but left obediently and Elwood waited until he was fully gone before turning back to him with his smile returned, "Sorry about that. And I again want to reiterate that Hogwarts is in no way discriminatory against you and supportive of Mr Koray's views."

"You know what would be a fun drinking game to play when you're an adult?" Nick commented as he crossed his arms, "Have a conversation with Elwood and drink every time he tells you that he's not discriminating against you."

"You recently attacked yourself in your alternate body form, is that correct?" Elwood asked and Michael nodded while clenching his fists irritably, he wished people would stop bringing it up. He had trouble controlling his emotions lately, keeping his mind as a werewolf also meant having trouble controlling his emotions as a werewolf. On top of the surging werewolf energy that didn't want to curl up in bed and sleep, it was hard, "Right, right. I also understand that Flannery Leebin has made himself your counsellor? He mustn't be doing his job right if you're having such difficulty with things, maybe you'd be more comfortable with a different, better counsellor who could be more useful? Gerhard Rutherford perhaps? He is particularly excellent. Or Chastity Prinkett if you'd feel more comfortable in the presence of a female due to your history of abuse at your... erm... uncle?"

"Stepdad," Michael corrected, not wanting to talk about it. He glanced at the portraits and realized both Snape and Dumbledore were no longer sleeping.

"Ah yes, yes. You've heard of his demise, I trust?"

"What?" Michael wondered in shock, "Bob's... Bob's dead?"

"Yes," Elwood confirmed nodding, "So what shall you say? Would you like me to pass the word along to Miss Prinkett? She is quite competent, I assure you."

"No, I'm happy with Leebin," Michael admitted truthfully, even if he wasn't then he certainly wasn't going to agree to a session with the woman who'd had Latimer. According to Scorpius, she was most unpleasant.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure."

"Well alright, if you feel more comfortable with someone who recently came back from stress leave instead of more talented counsellors than that is perfectly alright. It's _your_ decision and we at Hogwarts wouldn't want to pressure you into making a decision to choose the better counsellor, we at Hogwarts respect your rights as a humanity-challenged individual to choose," Elwood reeled off and Nick rolled his eyes, something Michael felt very close to doing himself, "So are you sure you'd rather stay with Leebin?"

"Yes," Michael insisted, he wasn't sure whether Elwood was telling the truth and he didn't care either way.

"Alright. Now let me make this clear, this is in no way a punishment because we at Hogwarts do not discriminate," Elwood began and Michael's eyes itched to roll themselves, could Elwood really not go a single sentence without mentioning that? "But your Head of House wished to see you about your grades and Transfiguration professor Hypatia Ayn Midas and others have also expressed concern about this, if you could be so gracious as to see Mr Longbottom about it right now then that would be preferable. Have a good day, Michael."


	31. IV: Comfort

_**Thanks to:** Guest Reviewer and A Guest for reviewing!_

_**Author's Note:** (To Guest Reviewer) Elwood does have a lot of flaws and you mentioned some of them, his getting the job had more to do with family connections than knowledge or skill or experience so he does/is making mistakes. But he does genuinely want to go a good job and for the students to be happy in Hogwarts again even though he can go about this wrong, he did think of Michael possibly being uncomfortable because of his stepdad and was trying to help him, you were right_

* * *

_Roman immediately found there was one spot in Quidditch that he fit into easily. Being a Keeper scared him, having to put yourself in the path of people through balls - or Quaffles - at him. Being a Chaser also scared him, it required too much contact and interaction with teammates in passing and the opposing team for getting the ball - or Quaffles - and tackling scared him. Being a Beater also scared him, Bludgers were frightful enough without having to deliberately search for them and besides, Roman could only hit the bat with the strength of a flower stem. Physical strength was not his strong point, he had a small wiry frame and unless growing into adulthood blessed him with a more solid form, it remained not his strong point. But then there were Seekers and Roman could excel, not only that but he enjoyed the feeling of rushing through the air at a high speed to catch it. It started to be that the second he arrived at the Burrow, he'd go straight for the brooms to practice and lose himself in the air._

_Naturally his summer was doomed to not be entirely pleasant, he did still have to deal with the Weasleys and he also had to deal with another wedding. A family friend of the Weasleys had announced their surprise engagement in July with the wedding set for August, they hadn't been together that long apparently. In fact it was joked that they were only getting married because Neville had 'knocked her up' and when Roman eventually would know that this meant, the timeline of their eldest daughter's birth left no doubt. They were still forced to attend though. Percy was going, which meant his wife was going, which meant his wife's brother was going. It was born better and worse than Audrey's wedding, better that he didn't have to watch his sister walk down the aisle but worse because it was strange._

_The wedding was taking place in an admittedly beautiful garden area but it was somewhere Roman had never been before, that scared him and all the people scared him too. At least he could cling to Audrey now she wasn't required for the wedding, when she didn't complain about his nails stabbing her and throw her off. The mass of strange people - many different to last time - terrified him, his poor heart didn't stop pounding painfully and he couldn't eat for fear of vomiting at the reception because his stomach was tied so tightly in knots because of his nerves. Luna wasn't there either, she couldn't make it. Roman didn't see why he had to be there, he didn't know Neville Longbottom or Hannah Abbott and nor did Audrey even._

_Roman was more than glad when it was over, his chest could recover from his heart's beating and his stomach's knots could smooth out. How he missed not feeling consciously anxious. The other unexpected thing about August was his own thirteenth birthday, he despised the day since his parents funeral and only got minimal gifts from Audrey, he was happy with that. But that year was different, Audrey marrying Percy got him mixed up with the Weasleys and he had gifts from every branch of the Weasley tree. These gifts included sweets, books, joke products, his very own - and very decent - broomstick and best of all was Audrey let him keep the family photo since he always went for it. The gifts didn't bother him so much as the attention though, he didn't want his birthday to be celebrated with his parents' death staining it and he absolutely hated being the center of attention with everyone watching him opening them. It scared him so much that his heart was going haywire. Not only that but there was a big Weasley family dinner with a three-tier birthday cake - that would've been terrible for his teeth and health - for him, they all sang him 'Happy Birthday'. It was too much, it was hard enough being around large groups of people without being the focus. He had a panic attack and passed out._

_Audrey was furious, said they were trying to be nice to him and he was being ungrateful by ruining it. Roman thought they'd probably done it on purpose because they wanted to upset him, how was terrifying him in any way nice? They never tried to make him feel welcome because they didn't want him around, they didn't want him intruding on their family. But that wasn't the point, it bothered him even more that Audrey had called him ungrateful thus heavily implying he'd panicked on purpose. Did she really think he enjoyed feeling like that? Did she really think it was fun for him to be so anxious and scared? Did she think it was nice feeling unable to breathe? Did she think it was pleasurable to have his heart hurt from beating so forcefully? Did she think it was amusing to pass out? Did she really think he didn't feel completely humiliated and ashamed? She didn't even care, his sister was gone. He hated how he was and he hated who he was, the bullies were right in all the nasty things they said. It became yet another birthday that ended with him crying himself to sleep._

_The rest of the summer wasn't so bad, the Weasleys were at least not evil enough to mention him freaking out although they did cut up his cake and he got a slice. He practiced on his broom every chance he got and - not that he'd admit it - read the Quidditch books he'd gotten extensively, even more so than the other ones. Percy also took him and Audrey to see Ginny's match, Roman didn't realize until seeing an actual Quidditch match how the rules really related. Specifically, how the Seeker ended the game in victory, the Seeker was the winner. Roman wanted that. He wanted to be a winner, a victor, to make a difference not to be a worthless loser kicked repeatedly the ground. He decided he'd try out for the Quidditch team in Hogwarts, maybe people would stop being so cruel to him and he could make some friends. Audrey and Percy brought him to the station again, only this time, Percy hugged him goodbye. Were there really no depths that Percy wouldn't sink to in his quest to trick everyone into thinking he wasn't evil? Percy had killed Enas._

_He hurried onto the train before Audrey could get the same idea for another long journey with Smokey, talking to dissipate the silence and wishing Smokey could talk back. Third Year started his electives, he loved Study of Ancient Runes but Care of Magical Creatures depended on the creature. He enjoyed taking care of them and like with Smokey he could talk to them like he couldn't with people but then they could be dangerous, sometimes it absolutely terrified him. Best of all though was his success in the tryouts, he beat the other Seekers by miles to secure the spot on the team. The rest of the team didn't like him - Roman didn't like them either - but they were at least civil to him during training, he was both dreading and looking forward his first match._

* * *

"Cool, I can't wait to see my Dad," Nick told him excitedly as they headed down, Michael was still thinking about Bob's death as it started to sink in. He really didn't know how to feel and how had Bob died anyway? "And remember to tell him to give you my broom. Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about Bob," Michael pointed out.

"Good riddance to a horrible bastard," Nick shrugged it off.

"But how did he die? I know he's older than Crystal and Jack, older than Annie even but he still wasn't _that_ old and he didn't seem ill."

"Why does it matter?"

"I don't know, it's just weird," Michael protested and slowly brought his hand up, uncurling his fist to look at the strange stone, "Think I should try talking to him?"

"I've been bugging you to see who else you can summon for weeks and now you want to summon the guy who used to _hit_ you?" Nick wondered incredulously.

"Yes, I just... I need to know," Michael said and started turning the stone before he lost his nerve, thinking of Bob but nothing happened. Nick remained standing there ogling him as if he'd gone mad but there was no Bob, "It didn't work."

"Maybe you need to vanish me first?" Nick guessed.

Michael nodded and let go of the stone, Nick vanished in an instant and remained gone when Michael snatched it back up before it could touch the ground. He tried turning it over again, thinking of Bob again but still nothing. It tried it a few more times and still got the same result. What did that mean? Was it something that he was doing wrong or something that was wrong with Bob? Was he unable to summon muggles? Or was Bob just not dead? Or because he and Bob didn't like each other? Or worse, could Bob have lost his soul along with his life? Or was it just the stone not liking him to summon more than one person? He turned the stone over again, this time thinking of Nick once more and his friend returned.

"Didn't work," Michael told him, becoming very aware and started continuing on Longbottom's office.

"Can't I say it bothers me that it didn't," Nick shrugged, "Although I do hope it only doesn't work for him."

"I guess," Michael muttered as they reached the office, the door was already open and the conversation loud enough to be heard as it was happening in the doorway.

"August, within these walls I am your professor not your father," Longbottom barked unusually coldly, he practically pushed little August out the door, "If you come to see me then it should be for a school-related purpose and not for something as silly as just to spend time together. If you want to speak to a parent, write home to your mother. If that's all then I'll see you for the next class on Monday, have a pleasant weekend."

"Yes, _Professor_," August muttered as he turned away, fighting back tears as he hung his head and headed off past them.

"Hey Aug, don't listen to him. He doesn't mean it, he's just in an upset and jerkish mood apparently," Nick offered consolingly to his younger brother, reaching out his hand to touch him. His hand went right through and August walked on oblivious that any such event had occurred, Nick's face fell slowly. Longbottom looked stoic but his eyes were sad.

"Ah, Michael, you're here," Longbottom said as he noticed him for the first time, "Come in."

Michael followed the professor into the office with Nick, it was decent sized with a magnificent sword that was just dumped in the corner. There were a lot of plant pots around, a planter lined the window, several on the desk and others dotted around but every single one had no plant. They were either empty completely or only filled with soil, it was possible that whatever they were hadn't sprouted yet but Michael thought it was more that Longbottom just couldn't be bothered to take care of office plants, he'd lost his enthusiasm for Herbology in class. There were family pictures on the desk, featuring all of the Longbottom children and their mother. Longbottom sat in his chair and picked up a particular one, one of Nick and glanced at it miserably before replacing as Michael sat down opposite. Longbottom took a deep a breath.

"Don't be sad, Dad," Nick sighed sadly, "I don't want you to be sad."

"So, I think you know why I wanted to speak to you," Longbottom began while Nick began wandering round his father's office unnoticed.

"Yes," Michael nodded and Nick stopped, "Something about my grades."

"Tell him," Nick pleaded but Michael hesitated, knowing he'd look completely mad and seem rude, "Tell him that I don't want him to be sad."

"Yes. You're working well below the level you were at for the end of last year," Longbottom continued solemnly, "You put little effort into lessons and rarely hand in work, the only exception is Defense Against the Dark Arts and even then, you don't try with the Patronus lessons anymore. I understand that it can be hard for you with reading and writing, also that you miss out with the full moon now but it's more than that. You always tried before, even when it was illegible and you're by no means stupid. You should be doing better than this, I get the impression that you've just given up trying."

"Michael, tell him," Nick begged desperately, "Tell him that I don't want him to be sad, please!"

"Nick doesn't want you to be sad," Michael blurted out and Longbottom's eyes widened so fast that they looked about to pop out of his skull, "I mean... He wouldn't, he wouldn't want you to be sad. That's what he'd say if he was here right now."

"That's really none of your business," Longbottom said curtly when he'd recovered.

"I don't blame you," Nick prompted, "For my death, I don't blame you."

"Nick doesn't blame you for his death," Michael reiterated and the professor was again taken aback.

"And I don't want you to be so sad and hung up on it."

"And he wouldn't want you to be so sad and hung up on it."

"I love you and I hate seeing you like this," Nick continued and gestured to the room, looking visible upset, "Your beloved plants are all gone, the sword you were so proud of is discarded like it was nothing and snapping at August like that? That's not you. I want you to be happy."

"He'd hate seeing you like this with your plants gone and sword on the ground, snapping at your son... That's not you, Nick would want you to be yourself again. He loves you, he wants you to be happy."

"I-I-Wh-No," Longbottom stammered out, not seeming to have a clue what to say or how to react to Michael's sudden conversation change. Michael didn't blame him, if he stopped to think how he looked right now instead of focusing on feeling obligated to pass on Nick's words, he'd be pretty awkward too. The professor was looking somewhere between confused and upset.

"I know these things, we were friends, we were close before he..." Michael half-lied to explain his knowledge and give it some credibility, he wanted Longbottom to have some closure and be happier again too. He couldn't finish the sentence though, it wasn't true anymore, Nick was alive with the stone, "I know he would feel this way."

"I was so awful to him," Longbottom whispered as he closed his eyes.

"And I wasn't?" Nick scoffed, "I was pretty awful too, it's a two way street. I think we both did and said things that we regret."

"Nick was just as bad with you," Michael offered and the professor opening his now-watery eyes, "He thought that you both did things that you regret."

"I'm sorry I didn't try to make it up with you, sometimes I wonder if I had then if you would've been able to realize that I was under the effects of that spell."

"He's sorry that he didn't try to make up with you, he sometimes wonders if he had then it might've made a difference."

"But I was too stubborn. I regret it. It seems so stupid now compared to everything else. I forgive you."

"He regrets it, he feels like he was being stubborn. He thinks it seems stupid compared to everything else now. You're forgiven."

"I-I tried to tell you that," Nick admitted hesitantly, "When... When I was bleeding out but I couldn't... I couldn't speak."

"He tried to tell you that when he was... dying but he couldn't speak," Michael recounted without thinking but it was too much for the professor.

"Michael, stop, please stop. It's... It's hard for me..." Longbottom admitted as he hung his head, his shoulder starting to shake from silent sobs, "I-I failed him..."

"No, Dad, you didn't," Nick protested, desperation and frustration playing on his face at struggling to get his words across.

An idea occurred to Michael at that point, he reached out to the professor's hands resting on the desk between them. His heart started beating faster as he hoped it would work, considering his previous failure especially but success was worth the risks of failure. He took the professor's hands gently and strategically placed the stone so both had contact with it, he turned it over a few times and hoped. Longbottom looked up, his face now streaked with streams of tears.

"You didn't fail Nick," Michael told him firmly.

"If anything I felt comforted in the end, y'know?" Nick continued quietly, his own eyes watering, "If anything, I felt comforted. It reminded me of back in First Year when I was scared how you'd react to me being in Slytherin, same place outside the Great Hall too. I started crying but you just hugged me, set me straight. I felt comforted then and comforted when I died, it was... it was nice to have something good to cling to through the pain."

"You made him feel comforted in the end," Michael recounted, not sure whether Longbottom could see or hear Nick or not, "It reminded him of the time in First Year, he was scared of how you'd react to him being in Slytherin. Outside the Great Hall too, he started crying but you hugged him and set him straight. It comforted him, it's nice to have something good to cling to through the pain."

"I tried to hold on, I really did but... but I couldn't," Nick admitted, choking on the words, "I just couldn't. I'm sorry."

"He tried to hold on but he couldn't, he's sorry."

"But you need to stop blaming yourself, blame Florian because it's his fault. It's all his fault. I don't blame you and I don't want you to blame yourself either, you still have a life. I want you to be happy."

"You need to stop blaming yourself, Nick wouldn't blame you and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself either. Blame Florian, it's his fault. It's all his fault. You still have a life though, Nick would want you to be happy."

"I love you, Dad."

"He-"

"I love you too, Nick," Longbottom breathed.

"And give Michael my broom, it matters to me," Nick commented and Michael jerked his hands - thus also removing the stone - from Longbottom in surprise, he immediately buried his face in his hands while Michael glanced at Nick, "What? It _does_ matter to me and you're hardly going to say it. Think my Dad could do with a less heavy change of subject. Do you think he'll have some closure when he calms down now? I want him to have some closure.

"I should go," Michael muttered as he stood, realizing that the professor probably did need to be alone. Longbottom didn't object, it was only as he opened the door that the professor spoke again.

"Th-Thank you," Longbottom croaked and Michael glanced back to see the professor raise his head slightly, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Michael whispered, afraid if he elaborated on the stone then he'd lose it and Nick would be dead.

Longbottom said nothing else and Michael left, closing the door behind him to give the professor some privacy. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief that it was over and hoped Nick's words would give Longbottom some closure, he glanced at Nick who was looking very introspective.

"You okay?" Michael asked of him.

"Yeah," Nick nodded as he was jolted from his thoughts, a familiar ghost of a smirk appeared on his face, "I was just thinking though, you are _really_ good at distracting people from mentioning your decline in schoolwork."

"I think you're having a bad influence on me!" Michael laughed as he started walking with Nick who also laughed, even though he had actually completely forgotten about the reason that Longbottom had wanted to speak to him until Nick mentioned it.

"I just want to be alone for a bit though, if that's okay?" Nick said after the laughter faded.

Michael deposited the stone in his pocket immediately, Nick vanished and he was left standing alone in the corridor. He picked up the stone again to hold but didn't turn it to summon Nick, he sighed heavily as he started walking again. He felt very alone these days, even when he wasn't. He was tempted to go find Mirra, she always helped take his mind off things but recalled that Scorpius was telling the other things. He started off towards the Room That Doesn't Exist, Scorpius had probably taken them there after all. That was why he had to try in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Maurice was right and the dog tags around his neck were appropriate. He was a soldier, he'd have to fight the Soul Eaters again whether he wanted to or not. It was only a matter of time, it'd kill him one day but until then it was his responsibility to fight.

But at the moment, figuring out about what was happening with poor Ashain was higher priority. He couldn't believe Scorpius hadn't told him sooner, he could've told him about seeing Ashain on the map and they could've gone to confront it together instead of Scorpius only going alone on nights of the full moon. He supposed Scorpius had either been too embarrassed or simply didn't find him trustworthy anymore, Michael didn't blame him either way. He reached the Room That Doesn't Exist, circled a few times and thought of them meeting. The door appeared obediently and he went inside, to find himself in a much grander space then he was used to, he wondered why Scorpius had chosen such a thing. Scorpius was addressing Abby, Albus, Maurice, Orous and Vern but stopped mid-sentence when he got there.

"How'd it go?" Scorpius asked with concern.

"Didn't get in trouble because Hogwarts is not prejudiced against werewolves apparently," Michael explained, "What'd I miss?"

"Pretty much done," Scorpius admitted and scratched his head uncomfortably, "So um... that's it. Any thoughts?"

"I have a thought," Albus spoke up eagerly as if bursting to add something, "I was just thinking, you said that the Scepter used to be a Horcrux of that Herpo guy?"

"Yeah but Pancratius and Ashylos beat him."

"Or did they?" Albus wondered mysteriously before elaborating, "In my Mum's First Year of Hogwarts was the whole Basilisk thing that I told you about but what I didn't say is that the Diary that was controlling her, that _was_ a Horcrux. Voldemort split his soul up into the different Horcruxes, one of them was the Diary that possessed Mum to make her do things for him. What if this possession has nothing to do with the Specters and is Ashain being controlled by Herpo's Horcrux? Either those two guys screwed or he had another piece of his soul in the Scepter or something. It's plausible, right?"

"It would explain why he casually slips Ancient Greece into conversations," Maurice agreed thoughtfully, "And why he's only possessing Ashain at night, if not to draw suspicion to himself then it could be because he simply isn't strong enough to take over his waking mind. Horcruxes are parasitic, to reform they need the life of another and they can gradually sap that life force away but it takes time, months. Hanging around the entrance could have less to do with trying to steal it and more to do with just trying to be as close to Horcrux item as possible to regain strength faster."

"How do you know so much about Horcruxes?" Orous asked with a look of concern for his brother.

"We're taught about them in my first school, I have a book on them even."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Albus muttered, looking very disturbed that Maurice decided to ignore.

"Which is why I also think that it's probably not a Horcrux, Horcruxes require some connection to the victim. For example Albus' mother stupidly confiding in the diary or wearing one as a necklace constantly, interacting with it. As far as we know, Ashain's had contact with it maybe twice so it's unusual that Herpo's soul could've latched onto him already. What I find most confusing however is why they just stand outside the Chamber, even if there are other enchantments. Going inside would better investigate how to get past them if not to simply get past them, it's more productive than standing outside like an idiot."

"Maybe they can't get inside," Vern offered.

"But they should be. The Shadow Master either is or has someone on their side who's a Parselmouth and Herpo the Foul is noted for being one of the earliest known Parselmouths, meaning either option can access the Chamber anytime. What's the hold up? Personally I think it's neither, just a powerful and talented Legillimens - probably Greek or studied Ancient Greek deeply - who is after the Scepter for their own reasons with nothing to do with the Shadows or the past."

"Here's a crazy thought," Abby spoke up, "But has anyone thought of, I don't know, _telling an adult?_ They could help us and Ashain, the guy's life could be in danger."

"I tried and your father didn't believe me," Scorpius insisted as he crossed his arms, "He'd never believe me again without proof and we have none, besides no one's trustworthy here. Except Professor Ashain but we can't tell him in case the possessor is listening and can hurt him or something, or Calderon and he's not here right now."

"My father is trustworthy, Hagrid is."

"Your father didn't believe me already and Hagrid wouldn't be any help, he might not even know about the Scepter. Even if he does know, his area of expertise is magical creatures not possession."

"Fair enough," Orous admitted, "It's lunch time now though, try ask Latimer for anything he found out about possession and we'll wrack our own brains in the meantime."

"Good plan, saving the universe has me starved!" Albus announced happily, practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Saving the universe is a bit of an exaggeration," Abby pointed out as the others started to leave, Michael hanging back with Scorpius.

"C'mon, let me have it. I feel _good_ for once, my Dad would be proud for the first time ever," Albus was saying as he left, "Maybe he'll even pay more attention to me when we save the world and he finds out finally."

"Good luck with that," Michael muttered hopelessly as he folded his arms, Jack had never written back to him after his first message and Bob was now dead. Fathers were awful, "So what did you tell them in the end?"

"About the map, everything about Ashain and the Scepter except I didn't elaborate how I contacted Varanian," Scorpius explained after everyone else was gone, "I talked about the things in the first three years too but not in as much detail."

"Where's Rose, Corin, Molly and Latimer?"

"Rose and Corin didn't want to know, Molly and Latimer were unavailable. I'll tell Latimer when he tells me about anything he found on possession, I want to give Molly more detail so I'd do that separately too."

"Okay," Michael nodded and started to leave with Scorpius.

"You alright?" Scorpius asked worriedly, "You look thoughtful. You really didn't get in trouble?"

"I really didn't, Elwood wouldn't punish me because I'm a werewolf," Michael shrugged it off and decided to open up a little, "Bob's dead."

"Good," Scorpius said immediately and Michael blinked in surprise.

"Good?"

"He was evil and he hurt you, he deserved to die. Aren't you pleased?"

"No. I just was think th-"

"Well don't think," Scorpius interrupted firmly, "He's dead and gone, that bastard is finally out of your life forever. Be relieved. Don't give that monster the time of day, he doesn't deserve it."

Michael merely nodded unhappily and continued on with Scorpius, he just thought it was weird that was all. He supposed he couldn't elaborate why without mentioning the stone, Scorpius had better things to do then think on the stone. They didn't come up with anything else on the stone, or think of anything to do except research until Ashain started going to the bathroom again. He didn't that night.

Michael had a thought though, as he was lying in bed later that night and failing to summon Bob after more attempts to find out what happened. It occurred to him that the stone could be of use, maybe he could summon Herpo the Foul and simply ask him if he was trying to live again using Ashain. He turned it over in his hand three times, thinking of the Ancient and dead Herpo the Foul but nothing happened. He supposed splitting your soul may affect summoning what was essentially your soul, instead he tried thinking of Pancratius who had killed Herpo originally. Again he got nothing, Scorpius had said something about Pancratius' soul being destroyed killing Herpo so maybe that was why again. So he tried thinking of Ashylos, the Avisora who'd killed the Basilisk and Horcrux but still got nothing. Michael sighed and shoved the stone under his pillow, maybe it was just for people he'd known after all. Then why couldn't he summon Bob?


	32. IV: Snowmen

Scorpius actually felt relieved to have told his friends and it did help boom the ideas front, Rose seemed sulky with them for the next few days while Corin seemed indifferent and still upset about Abby breaking up with him. He felt closer to his friends as well now that he wasn't keeping such major information from them, maybe it was just him but being united in that knowledge made him feel that they were closer somehow. And Albus was much happier. The new counselling session times were also up and miraculously, Professor Longbottom had finally stopped giving them book work. It still wasn't quite the same as before but the professor was trying, he hadn't realized how much he missed a good Herbology lesson. He got to talk to Latimer that weekend.

"There's not a lot on possession to be honest," Latimer said, "There's nothing on Specter possession but obviously that's a thing. The main way is using Legilimancy to control the victim but that doesn't tend to be long term, the host is naturally going to fight because it hurts them even if they're asleep. Keeping control requires a lot of practice and skill, as well as being constantly vigilant. The Imperius Curse is actually a much milder form of possession and easier to do, it requires less constant watching the victim too. It also mentioned something to do with a 'Horcrux' and possession but anything other than vague mentions is gone, someone must have removed books on it from the Library at some point so it's probably some pretty dark magic."

"And that's it?" Scorpius wondered, somehow surprised that there weren't more magical ways to possess people.

"Pretty much. There are some mentions of objects rumored to possess people but it doesn't elaborate except sometimes to say something about Horcrux objects. So why did you want to know this stuff anyway?" Latimer wondered with a raised eyebrow, Scorpius took him to the Room That Doesn't Exist - much to Latimer's amazement - and told him everything that he'd told the others. Unlike them however, Latimer looked confused, "Are you sure about Ashain?"

"Of course," Scorpius protested and Latimer scratched his chin.

"It's just that pretty much everything mentions a strain of the victim's health if they're being possessed, except for the Imperius Curse but it can't be that because it would've been the first thing checked for if they thought there was anything with Ashain. They have a spell now to recognize the Curse if the person is currently under the influence of it. But my point is that Ashain doesn't seem unhealthy, not weak or pale or tired or stressed or anything."

That was something that Maurice had also mentioned, Professor Ashain showed no sign of being under any kind of physical strain. He seemed perfectly healthy, he was energetic and still had incredibly good reflexes and agility. He looked refreshed not tired every day and wasn't pale, if anything he looked like he was starting to get a tan despite the cold weather and the first snowfall arriving with the second week of November even. He was in such good health that he actually looked younger, he was in his mid-forties but could easily pass for someone in their early thirties or late twenties. Scorpius supposed they should take it as a good sign that Professor Ashain was hanging in there, his possessor was still being cautious and not going to the Chamber entrance despite Michael, Scorpius and Albus taking it in turns keeping an eye out.

That second week of November, he also penned the letter to Varanian to inform him about Professor Ashain's possession and interest in the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He used the spell to scramble the message again, then he just needed Cassia. Michael checked with the map - it was very useful for finding people - and found when she was alone outside, quite near the forest actually. They headed out and saw she was making a snowman, Scorpius felt his heart twist as he recalled doing that in the past. Such an innocent and childish thing to do. She was just finishing up when they got there, it was quite good actually for a six-year-old. She'd done it with three balls for height - barely managing to reach to get the head up - with shoes at its feet, sticks for its arms, stones for its facial features.

"Awesome snowman. You should use a carrot for the nose," Scorpius offered, "It'd stand out more."

"A carrot doesn't look as real," Cassia complained as she stepped back to admire her snowman.

"Snowmen don't need to look realistic."

"Mine does."

"Well it's very nice," Michael complimented as the girl smiled, walking further back from the snowman and they followed.

"I need your help again to deliver a message with a non-owl bird," Scorpius decided to just cut to the chase, "Please, I'd be very thankful if you could."

"Okay, just a minute," Cassia agreed before she made a bird call sound with her mouth and immediately there was a flapping of wings as birds flocked from the forest, she cawed again and again, each time louder to gain more birds that swarmed around them.

"What are you doing?" Michael wondered worriedly, Cassia smiled again.

"You'll see, step back now. Behind me."

Scorpius exchanged a confused look with Michael before obeying. Cassia threw her arms up into the air and screeched like a bird before throwing her right arm outwards to point at the snowman, immediately the birds shot towards it. Cawing as they fiercely attacked the snowman, tearing the stone eyes from its face, snapping at its stick-arms until they broke apart. They jabbed and stabbed their knifelike beaks at the poor lump of snow, others went after the feet and others pecked at the join between the head and torso snow balls until the head fell off. Cassia called again, throwing up her arms and the swarm of birds abandoned the snowman. Or what had once been a snowman, it was now an unrecognizable wedge of snow all misshapen and buried in holes.

"Erm... What... What did the snowman do on you?" Michael asked, looking even more worried while Cassia looked very proud of herself.

"Doing what Maurice said and practicinger my gift to get better so I can fighter the bad guys acause I is a soldier like my Daddy," Cassia explained as if it were obvious, she was smiling though as she cawed again and threw up her arms. The flock of birds soared back into the forest, she made another bird-like squeak and one lone raven flew to land on her shoulder while the others dispersed until the forest was silent again, "Pretty neat, huh?"

"Err... Sure," Scorpius agreed although felt somewhat saddened, Cassia was six. She really shouldn't be thinking, focusing or worrying about the war.

"So where's the letter?" Cassia asked cheerfully and Scorpius held it up, Cassia cawed again and the bird snatched it from Scorpius' hand.

"Do you remember the address?"

"Yes. I is not stupid," Cassia insisted as she stroked the bird, twittering again like a bird and the raven took off, "All done. See, I can be userful. I is messanging Varanian."

"How- What makes you think it's Varanian?" Scorpius asked in surprise, Cassia gave him a very sly smile.

"I told you I is not stupid, I've seen the photos of him and the birds tolded me that he looks just like that. Daddy thinks he is innocent though and I trusted you so I is help," Cassia explained simply before starting to walk back to the castle, offering a hand in a wave, "See you, I is going inside now acuse I is cold."

"Bye," Scorpius and Michael muttered in unison as they held up their hands too. Scorpius watched the little girl go, all bundled up in a thick pink muggle coat with white flowers, red knitted gloves with ladybugs on and a purple bobble hat. Not who you'd think would command a flock of birds to viciously attack a snowman for a training exercise, Scorpius sighed.

"Is it just me or are kids growing up fast these days?"

Scorpius also got the chance to talk to Molly that week, amidst the rigorous training schedule because of the match that weekend, Freddie had been more paranoid than usual too over his girlfriend's health in the bad weather. He always hung back to spend time with her as they packed up the Quidditch things, in fact he usually went slowly so they'd have more time to talk except an annoying day when Molly had had to go to her next counselling session since the next times and dates were now up, Scorpius was still the final week of that rotation although not on the last day at least. He was actually starting to feel guilty for not spending time with Molly with everything.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Scorpius began but was cut off.

"I'm sorry I haven't been spending much time with you," Molly apologized looking guilty as he was about to vocalize essentially the same thing, "It's just the awkward way these NEWTs work, you have less classes a day and free spaces but classes also carry on longer into the day. The times I do have free that you also have free, is usually the only time for a Quidditch practice session."

"It's okay, I understand," Scorpius told her before something occurred to him as she finished putting the equipment back away, "Why does Mirra have so much free time? She's with Michael a lot."

"I'm taking almost double the subjects she is so naturally she has more time. Even Latimer, he takes six but Astronomy's only at night so he does have more free time in the day," Molly explained and rubbed her beautiful sky blue eyes, shadowed with tiredness, "Want my advice? Don't take lots of NEWTs, be a prefect and have Captainship of Quidditch if you can help it."

"I'll do my best to be an underachiever," Scorpius joked and Molly laughed as he intertwined her fingers in his as they started heading back to the castle.

"We could try arranging something at the weekends to spend more time together, depending on the study workload and when I can't book the pitch. Ravenclaw's really hitting the pitch the hard and it's not even their match for a fortnight after ours."

"It doesn't need to be not studying as well, I have friends the year below and we can still hang out while we work on different subjects in the Library. That way we'd know when we're both done and could go hang out a lone. Or meals, you could just sit with us."

"I usually sit with Latimer though, if I didn't then he'd just be stuck alone. He stuck by me when I had no one, I can't just ditch him."

"Latimer could sit with us," Scorpius pointed out and Molly's expression wavered, "What?"

"It's just... Well... You usually sit with your friends which includes Rose."

"You don't like Rose?"

"I don't have a problem sitting with Rose, its Latimer. She's always so mean to him, it's not nice," Molly explained and Scorpius felt an odd twang of annoyance at Rose for costing him time with his girlfriend over something as trivial as Latimer's appearance. He did see Molly's point, he didn't like when Rose insulted Latimer or Michael either, "Not that he'd admit anything like that bothers him, he just makes an excuse to go off alone to his dormitory."

"What about if I talked to Rose?" Scorpius offered and Molly chuckled slightly.

"Have you met Rose? You'd have more luck convincing that odd-looking lump of snow."

"Ah, that odd-looking lump of snow would be the remains of Cassia's snowman. She used it as target practice for her attacking birds."

"I miss that," Molly sighed before blushing, "Y'know, the snowman-making part not the attack parts. That's just... She's an unusual child."

"Why don't you make one then?"

"I'm too old to be making snowmen."

"Nonsense!" Scorpius protested and stopped, "C'mon, let's make a snowman. If I can do it then you can."

Molly laughed, apparently not thinking he was serious but he was. If his girlfriend wanted to make a snowman, his girlfriend was going to make a snowman. He started rolling up the snow and she started helping him then, it was fun actually. The nostalgia of non-painful childhood memories with the present enjoyment of building it with his girlfriend, it was relaxing actually. Swapping stories of past snowmen, winters and Christmases while laughing that their own snowman didn't look much better than ones they'd made as children. They finished it though, Scorpius even searched for the most carrot-shaped stick he could find to use for its nose. It had started snowing again by the time they were finished, they stepped back to admire the somewhat lopsided snowman.

"See? Not too old," Scorpius grinned, liking seeing Molly smile.

"Maybe."

"Anything else you haven't done in a while or do you want to go inside now?"

"Well... Been awhile since I had a good snowball fight..."

"Now that we are too old for," Scorpius pointed out, not sure if it was really proper to throw lumps of snow at your girlfriend. He started to head back, only to feel something cold and wet collide against him. He turned back in surprise to see Molly laughing at having thrown the snowball.

"You can't say one then not the other!"

"Is that so?" Scorpius wondered as he scooped up a handful of snow, balling it up and throwing it at her. Deciding it must be okay if she had done it, it struck her in the chest and it must have caught her off balance because she fell onto her bum. No longer laughing, he crossed the distance between them in panic, "I'm so sorry, are you okay? I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, I'm just..." Molly stopped mid-sentence as a snowball struck him in the face, Molly laughed again, "Gee, Scor, you suck at this!"

Scorpius laughed, relaxing that it was okay and tried to grab another snowball but Molly hit him with another before he was done that caught him off balance and knocked him down. Now more even, he started hurling snowballs at her and she jumped up to run. He ran after her and it descended into a chase around the snowman with snowballs, he'd chase her until he ran out and then she'd get some and chase him. He was laughing so hard that he could barely see, especially through the falling snow and he knew Molly was the same. After a few minutes he paused, breathless from the exertion especially after the Quidditch practice, a well-placed snowball knocked him to the ground but he pulled Molly down with him.

It wasn't so much a snowball fight then but a snow fight, throwing random handfuls of snow and batting at it each other like it was water they were splashing. She was breathless too and their strength was sapping as they calmed, instead he pulled her too him and pressed his lips against hers. He didn't realize how cold he was until he did that, her lips were the only thing warm touching his snow-dampened body like a ray of sunlight. He caressed one of her cheeks without breaking the kiss, feeling her skin was also chilled to the touch from the weather. She encircled her arms against him and pushed her lips harder against his with more passion, the unintended side effect was that he lost his balance and fell to his back.

Somehow they didn't break the kiss though, he wrapped his arms around her to pull her body closer as their lips remained locked as if they were born to perfectly fit together. They only broke apart to breathe, he looked up at her and noticed the snowflakes standing out against her fiery curly hair. He brushed the hair from her face and leaned up to kiss her again as she leaned down, she must have been at an awkward angle before she fell off him and pulled him with her. They tumbled down the slope that Scorpius hadn't realized they'd been on, this time landing on top of her. They started to laugh until he realized they were right by the lake... He practically leaped to his feet in one fluid motion in panic before helping a slightly bemused Molly to her feet.

"You're really that scared of water?" Molly wondered and Scorpius realized he was eying the water darkly.

"Not_ scared_," Scorpius insisted, "I just... don't like it."

"Right. Want to go inside now then?"

"Okay," Scorpius nodded and his found hers as they headed back to the castle, happy memories now dogging his thoughts. Maybe he didn't spend as much time with her as Michael did with Mirra and they hadn't snogged but that didn't mean he was doing anything wrong... Right? They'd had a fun afternoon, they were still good... Weren't they? "So if I talk to Rose then will you get Latimer to sit with us and you at meals?"

"Alright," Molly sighed, "We can give it a shot."

"Good," Scorpius smiled with relief.

"Was that what you wanted to me about?"

"No," Scorpius admitted and realized it had completely slipped his mind, bringing them to a stop. On one hand he was glad he could take his mind of his worries sometimes but on another, he cursed his stupidity, "I wanted to tell you that I decided about your request, when you asked if I could fill you in on everything. I thought about it... And I will tell you."

"Okay," Molly nodded with a more serious expression than she'd had since before practice ended, "How about tomorrow after practice? I kind of just want to get out of these wet clothes and curl up in front of the fire right now."

"I'll join you," Scorpius said, also feeling relieved that he wouldn't have to taint his good day with all the dark stuff he'd be telling her. Would she even want to date him after he told her everything? She squeezed his hand and smiled again as they continued on.

"What happened to you too?" Latimer wondered curiously as they passed him, looking like he was going to the Owlrey as he held a letter addressed to Austin in his hand.

"Playing in the snow."

"Might as well enjoy it because that snow is going to be hell to play in on Saturday," Latimer offered playfully.

"Thanks for that," Molly chided him.

"You're welcome," Latimer smirked as he left.

It was still a good day though, after changing they returned to the Common Room and cuddled up on the couch in front of the fire. They just talked comfortably together and lamenting the homework they were neglecting. Latimer did have a point about the weather though, the snow blanketed the grounds all over again and if it kept up, it would be bad for the match. Scorpius wished he'd be out there in it instead of just everyone else. He took Molly to the Room That Doesn't Exist after and told her - like he had with Michael two years before - everything, talking about his involvement with the Shadows, his alliance Varanian and even about his abduction and killing Marvin as well as everything new with Professor Ashain's possession. Molly listened patiently, quietly and neutrally.

"Well?" Scorpius wondered nervously, Molly just looked at him for a minute before hugging him tightly, "Erm... You okay?"

"After everything you've been through, I thought you could do with a hug," Molly pointed out and he relaxed immediately, holding onto her for a minute in silent comfort before they pulled apart, "And I really have nothing about Ashain, I have no idea. But I could try asking my Dad for information about possession, even the Horcrux kind. He's eats knowledge for breakfast."

"Really think he'd tell you about this super dark, bad magic?"

"He likes telling things he knows and besides, if I phrase it like it's anything to do with my grades then he'd tell me anything," Molly smiled at him through her tiredness, "Thanks for trusting me."

"Thanks for standing by me," Scorpius admitted and kissed her gently. Despite everything, he was do glad that he had her.

It was Friday by that point. The next day marked Saturday, the very first Gryffindor versus Slytherin match of his Hogwarts time that Scorpius wouldn't be a part of. Molly had told him she forgave him for getting in trouble and banned from the first match already but he was still bothered to be missing the match.

"What do you mean be nice to him? How am I not nice to that ugly freak?" Rose demanded when Scorpius mentioned being nice to Latimer at breakfast on Saturday before the match, his nerves about opening up to Molly had made it slip his mind until he'd recalled that Molly had agreed to sit with the that day.

"Well unless we've slipped into an alternate dimension," Albus commented, "Ugly freak is still not nice."

"But he _is_, he's hideous. I don't know how Molly can stand to be friends with him, or you for that matter. He's so ugly. It's not mean, he has to have realized that he's ugly by now or he's stupid too. Boy's bathrooms have mirrors too, right?"

"Try being human for once," Maurice pointed out and Rose threw him a murderous look that he failed to react to with his neutral expression, which only made her look angrier.

"I am human! I'm a nice person! I just don't get why I should have to be near someone so ugly who I hate."

"There's no reason to keep pointing it out," Michael insisted with a frustrated look her way, for once he hadn't vomited before the match although he hadn't eaten still, "There's more to people than looks anyway, geez."

"What am I supposed to say to him if I can't mention how looking at him makes me want to vomit?" Rose asked acidly, clearly annoyed at them for bringing it up, "Since you people all decided to gang up on me."

"You could try 'hi, Latimer'," Scorpius prompted as he noticed the two approach, "Or just say nothing to him."

"_Hi, Latimer_," Rose said with exaggeration and false cheerfulness before looking at him Scorpius as if demanding whether that was good enough, Latimer looked at her as if expecting more before sitting when she didn't exaggerate. Scorpius felt like slapping his hand to his face.

"Good luck with the game today," Abby offered to the both of them as they started to eat, "You'll need it with this weather."

"Freddie, please. It's my final year, I want to do this," Caitlin was saying to Freddie anxiously as the couple approached Molly, Freddie looked determined though.

"Molly, you can't let her play," Freddie demanded - not for the first time - and Molly rolled her eyes, also not for the first time, "Nott can be vicious and it's a real match, Beaters are going to be at it much harder than in practice and it's snowing horrendously out there, its fucking freezing. It's no condition for Caitlin."

"Do you want to fly, Caitlin?" Molly asked of the girl after swallowing the mouthful of bacon that she'd tried to start on when she sat.

"Yes," Caitlin insisted firmly, "I assure you, I'm perfectly fine to play and I can do it well."

"Sorry, Freddie, she's in."

"I'm your cousin-"

"I'm not banning a good player for no reason," Molly interrupted her cousin with a look of exasperation, "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Fine," Freddie said through gritted teeth, standing unmoving for a moment with a stoic expression before speaking again, "Come with me then and I'll give you the bloody reason."

"Freddie, please!" Caitlin exclaimed looking afraid.

"I'm trying to eat," Molly sighed, "I'm kinda hungr-"

"Molly, this is important," Freddie interjected, sounding infinitely more serious than Scorpius had ever heard him before. Molly looked unhappy as she stood to go with them.

"Don't let Al eat my bacon."

"Okay," Scorpius agreed as Molly left with the couple, Caitlin still trying to plead with Freddie.

"What's all that about?" Rose wondered nosily.

"I have my suspicions," Latimer commented disinterestedly as he nibbled at his food. Rose looked at him for a minute, the rest of them falling silent to wait for him to elaborate but he didn't.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to tell us?"

"Tell you what?"

"You suspicions!"

"My suspicions about what?"

"Latimer!" Rose shrieked in frustration and Latimer chuckled.

"No, I'm not," Latimer told her when she opened her mouth again, "It's none of my business and its none of yours. If I'm right, you'll find out soon enough anyway. In the meantime, it's their business alone.

"You just don't know," Rose complained as she folded her arms crossly, Latimer shrugged uncaring of her opinion on the matter.

"Dad," Abby said in surprise and they turned to see Professor Longbottom was just at them.

"Professor Longbottom in Hogwarts," Professor Longbottom grumbled under his breath but his eyes drifted to Michael, he spoke up louder, "Can I speak to you for a minute, Michael?"

"Erm... Okay," Michael agreed somewhat nervously and left with the professor.

"What's all that about?" Rose asked about the new mystery while Abby looked disheartened with her father's reaction, looking at Latimer as if expecting an answer but he appeared as clueless as the rest of them, "Latimer?"

"What? I don't know what Longbottom wants with him," Latimer pointed out with a scowl, "Why would I know that? I hope he's not banning Michael from the match though, if he gets banned and Freddie gets his way about Caitlin then I'll be the only non-Weasley on the team. Unless you count Lily but she's related to you through her Mum."

"Yep. I wish I was on the team. I'd give anything," Albus admitted wistfully and Latimer looked at him oddly for a minute before scowling, Albus' hand strayed to Molly's bacon and Scorpius slapped his hand away. Albus frowned.

"You really want to be on the team that badly?"

"Yes."

"Then you need to make some changes, want some advice?"

"Yes," Albus agreed desperately.

"You need to practice. Practice, practice, practice like you were before the tryouts and you mentioned doing over the summer. So what if the tryouts aren't for another year? You need to practice if you want to get good enough to replace me, if you can't out-fly a one-footed freak then you'll never make it," Latimer told him seriously as he sat back, Albus was hanging off every word, "You let Michael use your broom but you need to use it yourself, every chance you get, every day ideally even through the bad weather - especially through the bad weather. You were focusing on the wrong thing before, your Chaser skills are pretty good but you're not a natural flier and that's what lets you down. Get back to basics, practice that because that's more important, if you can't get the basics then it doesn't matter about your passing or scoring or anything. Suck in that gut, chin up, stop whining and start flying."

"Louis," Molly's voice said loudly and Scorpius looked back up while Albus started prodding his podgy stomach, seeing his girlfriend had returned and was tapping her other cousin on the shoulder, "Get ready, you're in the match today. Hop to it, there's no time."

"Bu-I-Wh-" Louis babbled barely audibly, Molly's expression dispelled the possibility of it being a joke and he scrambled up, practically running out of the hall to get his Quidditch gear. Molly sighed and finished coming over to them, she sat back down.

"Where's Michael?"

"Longbottom took him away," Latimer pointed out with a vague gesture to the door, "So Caitlin can't play?"

"No," Molly confirmed with a look somewhere between annoyed and concerned, "I can't do it in good conscience, Caitlin understands. Thanks for saving my bacon."

"Hey," Michael greeted them as he returned, holding a decent looking and very sleek black broom.

"What's that?" Scorpius wondered curiously.

"A broom," Latimer quipped.

"It's Nick's broom," Abby pointed out, looking even more upset.

"Professor Longbottom gave it to me. Said... Said it was what Nick wants-would've wanted. We'll never get to play together but... he would... he would want me to fly for the both of us now," Michael explained awkwardly and glanced to his right oddly as if listening to someone else speaking before looking back to them, "Crush Kyle Nott for not letting him play last year."

"That sounds like my brother," Abby admitted, seeming unsure whether to smile.

"We should probably be getting to the pitch though."

"Yeah we should, gotta prep Louis," Molly agreed as she stood, Scorpius noticed Mirra approaching.

"Good luck, sweetie," Mirra offered to Michael with a smile before kissing him, a long lingering kiss that made Rose's face redden with rage as she turned her head away angrily before the couple pulled apart.

Scorpius almost stood too before recalling he wasn't allowed to play. It was weird. He sighed, he really wished he was playing.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Thanks so much to Guest Reviewer for reviewing! Okay so potentially exciting news, I just got (literally this morning) a graphics tablet which means I can trace/draw new artwork from the Gray series because its just like a pen. I don't have a scanner and the only camera I have is on my phone and to simplify, it doesn't quite work so I had no way really before. So if any of you would like to see any of it, let me know and I'll figure out how to do that_


	33. IV: Quidditch Returns

_**Thanks to:** A Guest, Gexorian, CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey, Lucifersdaughter and Guest Reviewer for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Does Rose really not think she's being rude?_**  
_She really doesn't see how she's being rude. She thinks pointing out he's ugly (and her similiar comments) is like pointing out that someone has blue eyes, its just a fact to her and doesn't think about how it could possibly hurt Latimer's feelings especially since he's a guy. Plus she always said 'no offense' to Latimer so she thinks he should not be offended anyway and is annoyed with him for it_

**_Why is she (Rose) a gryffindor?_**  
_I actually do have a list of traits for all the different houses and with every character to be sorted I check their traits against it and work out a percentage to make sure they line up with the one I wanted or rethink things. Rose did get highest for Gryffindor, what she lacks in bravery she makes up for in boldness although she isn't exactly a coward, she'd just rather avoid another stressful situation because she remembers (Abby and Albus don't completely) the Blood Runes in Book I, nearly was killed by Florian in III and nearly had her Dad die in I as well so she's more cautious than them_

**_DID SCORPIUS AND MOLLY MAKE OUT?! IS THAT WHAT THAT WAS!?/They haven't snogged?_**  
_Yes they did a little bit, Scorpius was just been inexperienced and insecure when he thought they hadn't_

**_The stone was only meant to show those you loved, right?_**  
_I thought it was that it could bring back anyone (except people like Voldemort because his soul was trapped in limbo after the Horcruxes) but it just automatically summons your loved ones if you're not thinking specifically of someone else, if you're thinking specifically of someone then it'll summon them instead which is the rules I've been using. I haven't read the books in a while and I don't have them to hand so I can't checo to be sure, that's what I always thought when I read them anyway and if I'm wrong then I apologize but I can't really change it now_

_**Author's Note:** I'll mention when I get some artwork for Gray uploaded for anyone who wants to see it with link/instructions when I have it, hopefully soon when I get a bit more used to it, anyone/thing specific you want to see then say and I'll try get to them if I can sooner. And yeah, I know this is more of a filler chapter although even in these there is relevant things but there is major stuff coming next chapter plus Annie's return for people who'd been waiting for that, I haven't forgotten_

* * *

_Roman's first match was against Gryffindor and all of his confidence poured away as he stepped out into that pitch to a hail of booing, he'd never bothered to attend Hogwarts Quidditch matches before and had not expected the turnout. Pretty much the entire school was there, staff and all. Due to being related to Ginny, Percy had gotten them a special private box when he watched the Holyhead Harpies match before so he hadn't really realized the numbers. He wanted to turn and run but the fierce, muscled Beaters were right behind him and Roman feared they'd use their bats to beat him if he tried. His heart was doing a good enough job of beating him without them, he'd also started shaking and felt like vomiting. He was an idiot._

_He flew into the air fearfully, noting the Gryffindor Seeker was older than him and probably more experienced and... Roman couldn't do it, he was going to lose. Why had he thought that he could ever be anything other than a loser? The match started and Roman rose into the air nervously, the sooner it was over the better and he could be done with it. His eyes started darting around for the Snitch, hoping it'd be seen soon. Roman was so focused on the task at hand that he completely forgot about the crowd, they were just a faceless mass partially obscured by the fog. And then he saw it, a reflection from a gleam of gold from above. The Snitch was above them, hovering in the center far above the usual match like some kind of prize. It was some kind of prize, it'd win the game._

_Roman shot towards it like his life depended on it, the commentary being drowned out by the surge of the wind as he flew and snatched it from the air. He felt a flood of triumph sweeping through him as he gripped the small golden ball as a smile played on his lips, he'd done it. He'd caught the Snitch. He was a winner, he was a hero, he was a success. He wasn't a complete loser, he wasn't utterly worthless, it didn't matter that he got anxious and terrified, he had won. He clutched the Snitch to his chest as a blanket of rain fell down on them but he didn't care, the match was over. It had almost seemed too easy even, Roman learned later that the reason it had been was because the commentator had mocked that Roman was flying away in fear and everyone - including the Gryffindor Seeker - had thought it true. He hadn't seen the Snitch through the semi-foggy conditions. Roman couldn't care less, he just cared he'd won._

_It reignited the dying embers of his confidence and Roman had something solid to look forward to in the next match after Christmas, naturally he would be staying in Hogwarts. He was so happy about winning that he almost decided to write back to Audrey to tell her, he penned the letter and everything. Until he got to writing her name on the envelope, realizing it would be Audrey Weasley not Audrey Rivers now and her betrayal returned like a knife to his heart, he threw the letter into the fire. She wouldn't care anyway, she didn't like Quidditch. He spent Christmas out practicing in the freezing weather, wanting to do well for his next match and really he preferred outside, the Blood Baron terrified him. It was in February against Ravenclaw, another grueling day but his practice had paid off because he was much more used to the cold. Despite this, Ravenclaw definitely knew not to underestimate him like Gryffindor had._

_When he spotted the Snitch, he hurtled through the rain drops for it but the Ravenclaw Seeker was after it too. He sped towards it, faster and faster until he could reach out his arm and grab it. The sleek metal was slippery in the rain and then - WHAM! Roman felt something collide against his skull with enough force to fling him off his broom, he thought he heard a crack but he'd already lost consciousness. When he came too, he was in the Hospital Wing with his head in agony. He felt as if a Mountain Troll had broken his brain in half and was beating each side with a different club, he groaned in pain._

_"Roman? You're awake," Audrey's voice said with relief, Roman glanced to his right - wishing he hadn't because the explosion of agony wasn't worth it - and saw her there with Percy. Both looked concerned and he realized she was holding his hand, she reached out her other one to caress his head gently which made Roman become aware of the bandage wrapped around it._

_"What... What happened?" Roman managed to get out weakly._

_"You took a Bludger to the head, you've been out for a few days," Percy explained and fragments of the Quidditch match returned to mind._

_"You're going to be okay," Audrey assured him but oddly, Roman felt something superseded his health._

_"Did... Did I win?" Roman asked and his sister looking confused, "The match. Did I win?"_

_"Roman, you were hurt, you could've died," Audrey told him seriously and looked slightly angry, "You shouldn't be worry about a frickin' broomstick game."_

_"But... Did I win?"_

_"Roman!"_

_"Yes," Percy confirmed and Roman smiled as he relaxed, "You'd grabbed it first._

_"It hardly matters though. And you are never playing that broomstick game again! Did that Bludger scramble your brains?! Did you not hear the part about being injured and that you could've died?!"_

_"But I won," Roman sighed happily as he closed his eyes, feeling tired, "And I'm going to play again, you'll have to take me out of Hogwarts to stop me."_

* * *

It was exceedingly strange to head out onto the field with his friends to watch a Gryffindor match that he wasn't part of, to watch the people he'd practiced with every day that week out on the field without him. He should be there with them. Scorpius sighed wistfully as he watched Molly shake hands with Kyle Nott, the Slytherin Captain who he'd protected her from when they first met. They didn't like each other and he thought Molly would be glad that it was the last time she'd ever have to shake his hand for a match, it was also the first match with Krum as referee. He tossed up the Quaffle and the match began.

It was a freezing day, the snow was billowing around them and many of the spectators were probably already frozen but the action on the pitch was intense. Michael was on fire, he was a blur as he zigzagged the pitch and pelted goal after goal through the flimsy defense. It reminded him of a muggle Ping-Pong game, the Quaffle yo-yoing between Michael and Latimer rapidly and precisely before Michael would hurl it through a hoop. Freddie and Roxy were also pulling their weight, batting the Bludgers in perfect sync and co-ordination with a near-perfect Bludger-to-target ratio. Molly wasn't doing much but the Slytherin Chasers were so terrible that they didn't often get the Quaffle and even when they did, Molly stopped it without much effort or Louis got it back off them.

In fact that was what Louis tended to do, get the Quaffle back from Slytherin to toss it to Latimer or Michael to begin their approach of the goalposts. Gryffindor was wiping the floor with Slytherin. At half an hour in, Gryffindor was already winning 220 to nothing. Gryffindor - and those supporting Gryffindor - were warm from constantly cheering and clapping at their house's continued success. Kyle had seen the Snitch once but had been stopped by the Weasley Beaters, Lily had seen the Snitch once but had been stopped by the Slytherin Beaters with a ruthless shot to her shoulder. It was admittedly much harder to see in the snowfall so Scorpius wasn't too surprised at the lack of Seeker activity. The obliteration of Slytherin continued, people apparently forgetting or no longer caring about Michael's werewolf status as Gryffindor cheered his name.

Kyle finally ended his annihilation by catching the Snitch, sweeping it from little Lily's grasp with his longer arms and a better angle to give him the advantage. Not that it actually mattered - although he thought it probably mattered to Lily, judging from the devastated look on her face - because Gryffindor still won 370 to 150, before the hour was even up. Two had been scored by Louis - one impressively when he ducked two Slytherin Chasers after the Quaffle, they crashed into each other and let him try to score unaided since no one else was near but the Keeper and the other less impressively when he tried to pass to Latimer but missed- and fourteen by Latimer, leaving a whopping twenty-one to be scored by Michael. Scorpius was glad actually, the house chanting 'Sanford' in joy was much better than hatred for his werewolf condition. For the first time since Scorpius had been there, Freddie didn't throw a celebration party.

"I'm getting older, I need to more responsible too," Freddie had insisted when it was asked of him back in the Common Room, looking at his girlfriend as he did so to which she smiled slightly and he returned it.

"You can be responsible all you want, dear cousin, but I was actually in a match that we won so I say we party!" Louis said instead, shouting the last and punching the air to the cheer of the Common Room.

Scorpius tended to retreat to his dormitory and hang out with Michael while the others partied but Michael was staying down. The crowded Common Room in the midst of a party with loud music and people wasn't his ideal place to have fun, most of the house was there after all. He could barely hear himself think. Freddie slipped away with Caitlin after it started. Louis seemed to be enjoying it, Scorpius spotted him dancing and later sitting on one of couches with a girl either side as he bragged of his achievements in the match. Albus was consoling a disheartened Lily on how she'd done while James sat oddly alone on the steps, looking loathingly at the scene and - even weirder - seemed to glare quite a lot at Carver, who was dancing with his girlfriend. Also at Michael, undoubtedly not happy that the victory was down to people he hated.

Despite being a Hufflepuff, Mirra had mingled in with the Gryffindor crowd and if she and Michael weren't dancing then they were snogging. Roxy had taken one look at them and left up to her dormitory. Latimer and Abby weren't there and Molly had headed up to her dormitory before Scorpius could speak to her. Corin had also gone back to his dormitory while Maurice was casually reading in a corner like there was no crowd or blaring noise, a possible advantage of being deaf. Rose was flirting with a boy who looked to be from Molly and Latimer's year, all the while glancing at Michael as if to check if he was watching but he wasn't. Scorpius was just headed up to his dormitory to be alone, feeling very out of place in the festivities. He was just about to go into the Second Year's dormitory when someone came up after him, almost bumping into him on their way to their own year's dormitory.

"Latimer? Where were you?" Scorpius questioned curiously and the elder boy spun unhappily.

"Counselling session," Latimer muttered and Scorpius noticed his eyes were red as if he'd crying.

"You okay?" Scorpius asked but Latimer had already reached his own dormitory and slipped inside, he was realy glad he had Leebin and not Latimer's woman.

* * *

_Roman was right about Audrey, she didn't pull him out of school and she couldn't stop him from playing Quidditch. She now frequently added facts about Quidditch in her letters, always things to do with stats on injuries or even deaths from centuries ago as if to try scare him off. Despite normally being terrified of things, Roman thought it was worth the risk. He was still bullied, he still despised the school and Quidditch was the one thing he could look forward to, to have fun at, to be good at. He was looking forward to the final and spent the Easter break in the castle practicing, his freezing body now adapting back to flying in warmer weather although it was still breezy sometimes._

_Audrey insisted the Bludger had 'scrambled his brains' in her letters, Roman was starting to think she was right although not about Quidditch. He often found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss Luna. He'd save himself for marriage of course because that was the proper way to do things, even in his fantasies. His imagination came back to use as he often fantasized about doing something cool to impress her, ranging from winning the Quidditch Cup to something impossibly epic and heroic like from the past stories he loved. He'd acquire a special ring with significant historical value and propose, she'd say yes because she loved him and they'd fly off on one of the creatures she always wrote to him about. _

_Their wedding wouldn't be terrifying, Luna's father would be there and maybe Ginny to be her maid of honor plus the guy marrying them of course, Smokey would be Roman's best man and Audrey wouldn't be invited. In that nice, safe, small ceremony in the countryside - that looked suspiciously like his childhood home - they would be married. Then they'd be married happily, they'd ride off on a unicorn - that looked suspiciously like a real Enas - into the sunset where he could finally kiss her for the first time. They'd settle down in a nice cottage in the countryside, all peaceful and neat and Luna could raise whatever weird creatures she liked in the space as long as they didn't eat Smokey. They'd be happy._

_The final match against Hufflepuff came and Roman forced down his nervousness, determined to prove himself. It was a difficult match, the Beaters watched him like statues because Roman thought statues always looked like they were watching you creepily. However in a soaring evasive move that surprised even himself, Roman swerved by his two guards the next time he saw the Snitch which made them smash Bludgers towards him. He shot back towards them, both too surprised to react as they moved aside and were rewarded by being struck by the two Bludgers they'd hit towards him. Roman rocketed towards the Snitch and snatched it away from the Hufflepuff's outstretched hand, winning the match. It would also be enough to win them the Quidditch Cup since Gryffindor and Ravenclaw wouldn't get enough points in their match but Roman didn't worry about that in the moment, he just felt happy and proud of himself for once. He even allowed a girl to take a picture of him, trying and failing not to smile. He kept the picture with the one of his parents as a reminder that he wasn't a complete loser, that he could work up the courage to something worthwhile, that he could get through this._

_He got fairly decent grades again but it didn't compare to his Quidditch victory, Audrey was incredibly annoyed with him for still doing such a dangerous sport while Percy congratulated him when the couple picked him up from the station. He spent his summer practicing too, when he wasn't stuck in Weasley gatherings. He would be forced to return again for another Weasley wedding, this time for George and his fiancée Angelina, Roman truly hoped Luna would be there. Fleur was pregnant again too, the baby was due for September so he wouldn't see it - if the new baby drooled half as much as baby Victoire then he certainly wouldn't miss it - which made them joke about Audrey and Percy having a baby soon. Oddly, Audrey never laughed at those jokes, she just went stoically silent. Roman got lots of presents again for his fourteenth birthday from the Weasleys although they didn't scare him into having a panic attack this time, he was glad._

_The new term started, again with Percy giving him a hug - this time Audrey did to, against Roman's will - on the platform. He shrugged them both of angrily, Percy was evil and had killed Enas while Audrey had completely turned against them. He threw them glares as he strode over to the train with Smokey, leaving Audrey looking upset. Slytherins seemed oddly less hostile to him and the Slytherin girl - Becky - who'd taken his picture kept sitting with him sometimes, her sudden interest terrified him. Roman kept his hostile attitude up with Slytherins though, they were still evil and just trying to lull him into a false sense of security to kill him or just hurt him really bad. He'd rather be alone then evil. Roman hadn't gone on any of the Hogsmeade trips the previous year, people scared him and strange places scared him so the village seemed a bit of a nightmare. He was horrified when the annoying, scary, stalker girl Becky brought it up._

_"Got any plans for Hogsmeade?" she asked him in Potions about a week before the first trip._

_"None of your business," Roman growled at her, afraid she was trying to get his location to plan the attack. The girl started twirling her brown hair nervously._

_"Well, I was thinking that... that maybe we could go together?"_

_"Why in the world would I want to do that?" Roman demanded, he hated the thought of Hogsmeade and he hated the girl._

_"You know like a date. With me."_

_"No!"_

_Roman was disgusted at the thought of 'dating' the way the Hogwarts children did it and disgusted at the thought of courting anyone but Luna. Becky suddenly left to go to the bathroom and never bothered him again, Roman was thankful. He won the first match against Gryffindor too, spotting the Snitch early and catching it before any goals had been scored, that was with a black eye a Gryffindor bully had given him. Quidditch was a golden light amongst the darkness of his life. The rest of his term was uneventful and he found himself back on the train soon enough for the wedding._

* * *

Scorpius found his mood improved the next two weeks now that his banned Quidditch match was over, even as he weather grew increasingly colder. Professor Ashain's possessor was still doing nothing, he was spending more time with Molly and was almost starting to relax with his friends. Rose had a new boyfriend too, Michael seemed indifferent. Scorpius also found a note on the counselling session times informing them that due to a family emergency, Leebin would be unavailable for a week so students could either be reassigned or wait. Naturally, Scorpius chose to wait and he actually found himself feeling concern for his counsellor's family. The amount of people wanting werewolf bracelets boomed as well, support was stronger than ever.

"Look! Look!" a vaguely familiar voice said excitedly at breakfast one of the days that week, they looked up to see it was Lorcan Scamander with more of a smile than Scorpius had seen on him - although he still had his wand curled up in his free hand - while he threw down a magazine. It was called the 'Quibbler' with a main article 'Werewolf Bands Banding Us Together' mentioned on the front page, "It's my Mum's magazine that she took over from my grandfather when he died in the summer, I told her about these bracelets that we're wearing to object to the ill-treatment of werewolves by the same corrupt Ministry that still hunts an innocent man and she thought it was wonderful. She wrote an article about it, the main article to gain awareness and so people can contact her to get one. A friend in the Ministry is giving her as many as she needs when she needs them, it's already getting popular in Hogsmeade too."

"That's great," Scorpius admitted with a smile that was mirrored on his friends' faces, he was honestly surprised that it was catching on outside of Hogwarts though, "Does the magazine get a lot of readers?"

"Mum said it got much more popular after the war, it's something."

"Well done, Lorcan," Maurice offered and Lorcan's smile widened, making him look almost identical to his identical twin again. Except his eyes were still ringed with tiredness and the ghost of strain on his face still visible behind his smile, Scorpius also thought he was slightly thinner than Lysander as his hands and face seemed more bony. Lorcan returned to the Slytherin table seemingly in higher spirits.

"Does he still have those freak out moments with magic?" Scorpius wondered curiously of Maurice who nodded.

"Yeah, he's very high strung. It's less often though and it's not a bad sign, having power is good and he just needs to learn to control it."

"Like how you have Cassia learning to control her ability with birds by having the attack snowmen?" Michael asked with a nod to the six-year-old.

"Yes. It'll pay off when her life is in danger and no one is around to protect her," Maurice insisted, "And for the record, I didn't tell her to do that. I just told her the best parts of the body to have the birds go for and explained why, then Ashain noticed I was talking to her instead of working and had me stop. I didn't know if she'd act on it or even if she'd taken it all in, I'm actually proud of her. Younger kids are much better like that, they don't obsess over terrible things like dating and listen when you tell them to do something. The First Years that I take Flying with are all paying extra attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts thanks to me, the look up to me. We're all soldiers."

"Yeah right," Rose scoffed to which Maurice shrugged uncaring at her disbelief.

It was only the day before the Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw match that there was something that put a dampen on Scorpius' spirits, he split up with his friends for a detour to the bathroom on the way to dinner and was on his way to the Great Hall when he was done. Until he heard a boy crying, the sound of a spell striking stone and James' laughter. Along with his assortment of cronies. He vaguely recognized the boy's voice as Byron Knight when he spoke, the same boy that Michael had stopped James attacking earlier in the year.

"Pl-Please lea-leave me alone, wh-what did I ev-ever do t-to you?" Byron cried.

"You're a Slytherin, you're all cowardly scum and you deserve what you get," James spat and Scorpius started to draw his wand to intervene, "My Dad puts people like you away on a daily basis, you're the garbage of the Wizarding world. You're garbage, you Slytherin piece of-"

"Hey!" an even younger voice interjected while Scorpius froze in surprise at hearing Antonius, he reached the connecting corridor and got a look at the scene for the first time. Byron was lying on his front, his hands blistery as if suffering minor burns. Antonius had placed himself in between Byron and the bullies, his arms out wide either side and his dog by his side. Scorpius had never seen him look - or sound - so determined, despite facing five teenagers unarmed to defend a random stranger, "Leave him alone. It doesn't matter what house someone is, it's wrong to pick on people."

"Not difficult to figure out what house you're going to be in considering your scumbag family are Shadows," one of James' cronies pointed out and the group laughed, Antonius remained in place.

"Idiotic coward," James sneered at the eight year old, Scorpius wasn't quite sure how Antonius was a coward for defending someone but then he didn't understand James' logic, "You think you stand a chance against actual wizards? You're practically a baby. Move aside or we'll have to make you."

"You know my Dad's a professor, right?" Antonius pointed out and James scratched his chin before aiming his wand directly at the boy.

"And you know my Dad's the greatest hero of all time, right?" James offered before darkening his tone threateningly, "And I'm not afraid of your Dad and I'm certainly not afraid of you. Move aside."

"What does your Dad think of you picking on people? I met him before and I don't think he likes it," Antonius said and James looked taken aback for a moment, he lowered his wand but his brown eyes burned angrily.

"You know what? I heard my Dad talking to your Dad about you once in the Hospital Wing, you know what they said?" James wondered with a cruel twist to his words, Antonius' expression wavered to betray his concern, "They said you're not right in the head, you're just not right. Fucked up. Slytherins are bad but you just have something wrong with you, completely _wrong_. I'm not scared of your Dad because I know he doesn't give a damn about such a worthless son. Your Mummy knew it and she left because she could see it and she's like a muggle or something, your Daddy's gonna leave too because he doesn't love you. No one wants a freak like you."

"That's right," Scorpius jumped in before he could stop himself, aiming his wand at James as the focus shifted to him, "I bet your Dad doesn't want you, you psychotic freak."

"Shut your face, Malfoy, or I'll shut it for you," James spat as he raised his wand but Scorpius was faster.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Scorpius cried, blasting an unprepared James back several feet while his wand spiraled to reach Scorpius' hand perfectly as he approached, practically quaking with rage while James' friends scattered to check on him, "And honestly, an _eight_ year old?! What is actually wrong with you?! You're nearly twice his age!"

"He got in the way, psycho," one of James' friends insisted.

"Oh, yeah? Why don't you beat it before I show you how psycho I can be?" Scorpius said in a more threatening tone than he thought he was capable of doing, rushing to James had left them severely vulnerable since they no longer had their wands out and facing him. The scrambled away and Scorpius turned to Antonius who was now fighting off tears, he lowered himself to the boy's level and put his hand on his shoulders gently, "No."

"No, what?" Antonius mumbled miserably.

"Don't you think on it, don't you dare. James was just saying those things to hurt you for intervening, none of its true."

"But-"

"No," Scorpius interrupted, meeting the boy's tear-filled eyes and wiping the water away before it could fall, "Your Dad loves you and whatever reasons your Mum had, it wasn't your fault. You're a good person and you're braver than all of James and his cronies put together, do you hear me? Don't you think on it for one second, what he said. Don't you dare. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Antonius whimpered but he nodded.

"Look out!" Byron called, just slightly too late as Scorpius turned into James' punch. It collided painfully with his jaw and knocked him to the ground.

"Don't call me a coward! And don't take my wand!" James yelled angrily as he snatched up his wand while Scorpius scrambled for his feet, "You sc-"

James didn't finish his sentence as Scorpius had pulled back his fist and lashed out with all the strength he could muster, he'd never punched anyone before then. He'd rarely been so angry before either, he was furious with James and the three - and a bit - years of dislike and hatred came out through his punch. Two things surprised him: one was that James fell back with his nose streaming blood and two was that punching someone hurt, he had to shake his hand at the ache from colliding with a physical being. It distracted him though from James rising to throw another, looking as angry as Scorpius felt. The other side of his jaw now throbbed but it wasn't with enough force to floor him this time.

He staggered back but James was already pulling back his fist for another punch, Scorpius jumped aside just in time and tried to throw one back that missed James' jaw as the older - probably more experienced - boy moved. In response, James simply jumped at him and Scorpius fell back painfully onto the stone with James on top of him, pinning him to the ground as he laid down blow after blow. Something inside Scorpius snapped, he _never_ wanted another man on top of him. He jerked his knee and James howled in pain as it caught him perfectly where no guy wanted to be kneed, the distraction was enough for Scorpius to lash out with a punch forceful enough to knock James off him.

Scorpius jumped on him, already slamming his fist down to made the force increase with the momentum and smash James' head against the stone painfully. He hit him again and again, wildly punching in a primal rage that was no longer completely against the older boy before James jerked his own head to hit Scorpius'. Feeling slightly dazed pushed Scorpius back, giving James a chance to sit up and grab a fistful of his hair. His arm was already moving to crash Scorpius' head against the ground so Scorpius bit down into James' arm as hard as he could, James yelped in pain and let go to tear away that arm that was now bleeding from the bite. Scorpius swung his fist into James' face, knocking the boy back but James was already readying another blow and Scorpius cocked his fist back as well.

"ENOUGH!" a familiar voice shouted and Scorpius suddenly found himself frozen mid-punch, as was James in a glow of yellow light. Calderon was back.

Scorpius was glad Calderon was back, although he did still get in trouble for getting into it with James. He had fewer detentions - due to James also having bullied the others - than James though - thankfully not together for any of them - but he supposed that at least he wasn't banned from the next Quidditch match after Christmas. Or even from getting to watch Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw as it featured two of his friends the following day.

It was an interesting match, Ravenclaw had a better team overall but Hufflepuff had good defenses with Vern and the Beaters being excellent but their Chasers were just awful. Ravenclaw had good defenses too, so much so that the Chasers couldn't touch it. Ravenclaw only managed to score some tactful outmaneuvering of Vern, using the number of hoops and Chasers versus one person to make it impossible for him to get to another in time. However, Vern still held his own on a lot of occasions and no goal was easy for Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff won in the end though, Orous blended in with the snow to hunt for the Snitch and was all but forgotten until he swept down like a bird on its pray, swiping the Snitch before Pentakel - Scorpius thought his injuries had him off his game - could near it. Suddenly, Scorpius was less enthusiastic about not missing the next Quidditch match as it occurred to him that he'd be directly against his friend.


	34. IV: Unconventional Magic

_**Thanks to:** Gexorian, Lucifersdaughter, Guest Reviewer, A Guest and CaptainDaisyAdriannaGrey for reviewing!_

**_Questions:_**

**_Why has James not been expelled yet?_**  
_He wasn't always as bad as he is, he kind of just got worse every year as he gets more frustrated and bitter about things and takes it on others. He doesn't always get caught either, there's a lot more instances of bullying that he doesn't get caught for than ones that he does. Plus right now Elwood is Headmaster, he wouldn't expell the son of the idol he hero-worships unless he really had no choice. But James does have three years left in Hogwarts (including his current one) so still plenty of time to try get himself expelled_

_**Author's Note:** About updates, I write this every day and you get chapters the day they're finished which is why there is daily updates or an update the day after if I didn't get enough done the previous day. I know that happens more often than for Book I but chapters are longer now so they take longer and I have college four days a week as well now but I do my best. If I go longer than 2 days that between updates (except in between books) then something is wrong_

* * *

_Roman found the wedding was taking place at the Burrow again - pretty unoriginal - for George and Angelina, he'd had a growth spurt since the summer and needed new dress robes for the wedding. He cursed his increasingly lanky limbs every time Madam Malkin 'accidentally' jabbed him with a pin as she fitted his robes, Roman was sure she was doing it on purpose, the evil old crone. There were more people there than had been at Percy and Audrey's or Neville and Hannah's. Roman was terrified but felt too old to be clinging onto Audrey so instead he just took his seat and gripped the edges, counting methodically to try keep himself calm. He pretty much missed the whole ceremony from doing this, focusing on the numbers until he was tapped on the shoulder to tell him they were going for the reception now._

_His knuckles were white and his hands numb from clutching the seat so much, he was shaking and his heart aching from pounding as he went to sit to eat. Roman was somewhat disturbed to find he'd been put at the kid's table, his companions included three of Angelina's cousins who were all under ten, toddlers Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley - baby Dominique was with her mother - and Fleur's sister Gabrielle. Gabrielle was a year older than him but she spoke in the same impossible to understand accent as her sister, she went quiet when Roman pointed this out. It was tedious keeping the little ones in check, the kids seemed incapable of going five minutes without arguing while Teddy just kept changing his appearance to make little Victoire laugh. Roman decided he was never having kids, he wasn't cut out for their messiness and general lack of adherence to proper protocol for manners._

_Luna wasn't there either, there was a rare ritual these rare creatures were doing and she couldn't miss the chance to study it. Roman supposed he didn't mind, at least her letters were long and he liked how her excitement shone through the page. Still, it would've been nice to see her and maybe he could even have danced with her. Roman actually got to go home sooner than the others, Audrey and Percy deciding to head back while most people were still there - only Bill and Fleur that he knew due to wanting to put the girls to bed - so he was glad. He got his reply to Luna finished - he could write to her when not in Hogwarts easily because he could use the house owl - and got an early night, or tried to. It was short-lived as he was woken by arguing. Roman pricked up his ears and tiptoed to his door to eavesdrop, was Audrey not as much a lost cause as he'd thought?_

_"What's wrong with not wanting to have children?!" Audrey was yelling, sounding upset._

_"You didn't mind before!" Percy shot back, "And I didn't say it was wrong, I asked why! I just want to know why, is that so bad?!"_

_"Yes," Audrey spat irritably._

_"Just talk to me, Aud," Percy asked in a gentler tone that made his sister sigh in defeat, "Please."_

_"Because I can't be a good mother," Audrey admitted finally, dropping her tone to a barely audible whisper and sounding almost on the verge of tears._

_"What? Of course you-"_

_"No, I can't. Merlin's sake, look at how terrible I am with Roman. He hates me, he ignores all my letters, and he's joined that suicidal broomstick club and has those freak outs. If I can't even take care of my brother, how am I supposed to take care of a child?"_

_"Roman's a teenagers, its fairly common behavior," Percy offered consolingly, "Except the freak outs but he's a weird kid anyway. Our child wouldn't be like that, our little one would be all innocent and smart with her mother's brains and looks."_

_"Or a son."_

_"Yes, or a little girl."_

_"Or a son."_

_"Yeah, or a daughter."_

_"Or a son," Audrey insisted for the third time, apparently favoring the male gender, "You really think Roman's behavior is normal for a teenager? Aub and I were never like that. Sometimes I think there's something wrong with him."_

_"I'm sure," Percy assured her, "Most of it is just puberty and the rest is from being so isolated that he's not used to people, our children wouldn't have that problem, well not until puberty anyway. We don't have to have a child right now or ever if you really are against it but, please don't do it because you doubt yourself. You'll be a great mother and Roman will get out of this phase, I promise."_

_Roman heard the sound of their lips touching and stalked back to his bed in angry disgust, not sure what bothered him more. That Percy put everything about him down to a meaningless teenage phase or that his sister worried there was something wrong with him, Roman felt tears well in his eyes and squeezed them shut to try block them. Both sets of insults pained him and he cried his eyes to sleep._

* * *

Jack was now free from the incessant, agonizing hunger but it had reinvigorated One as much as it had himself. He no longer had complete control over his body, One could take over whenever he wanted and if they both tried to do things then they just wound up frozen until one of them caved. One seemed to be enjoying himself much more and wanted to try random things that he hadn't been able to do as a Specter, including tasting different things - licking random objects that weren't edible too - or touching random things to feel the texture - not always just his hands, One wanted to run barefooted through grass to see what it was like - or randomly standing in the rain, playing in the snow or simply moving his hands and watching it. He also wanted to do things like see what it was like to run or jump or clap or dance or writing or even to dip his fingers into jelly, whatever random thing he focused on in that moment. One also had a strange fascination with colors, especially bright ones - the tinge of shadow in his vision made them stand out more - or shiny objects.

One also had different tastes to Jack, finding different foods or drinks better or worse and other aesthetic things like clothing - One preferred old-fashioned styles closer to wizarding things - or hairstyle as One thought it should be longer. One had also developed a different way of speaking to Jack, after experimenting with 'making shapes with his mouth', One had settled on a high-class British accent. This made conversations especially awkward, One would ask a random stranger what their favorite color was and what was the most painful moment of their life then Jack would try to apologize awkwardly. People thought it was nuts, assuming they didn't already think he was mad for arguing with himself in two different tones of voice or introducing himself with two names. There was also the darker side to One, Jack would allow him to feed off minor pain - such as passing someone crying, the person was oblivious as it didn't hurt them and the effects weren't visible to muggles - but actively had to step in when One wanted to hurt or kill someone.

Jack very deliberately tried not to go out unless he really couldn't help it, he never knew when One would become active. He craved sleep because it meant not having to deal with it all, even when he_ was_ in control it wasn't perfect. Even without the constant threat of One taking over, One pestered him to destroy more souls. The hunger was no longer painful but Jack knew it was still there, Jack had gotten better at distinguishing it from his physical hunger but it was still there. Faint but growing in strength, the minor pain that they fed off of helped keep it at bay but it wouldn't last forever and Jack dreaded the day he'd cave. He wasn't feeling so good about his deal now. Jack was too afraid to visit Crystal - she was still in the hospital, she'd caught pneumonia and was far too ill to have the operation - with One, he was too afraid to even try to write back to Michael out of fear of them finding out. He knew that couldn't last forever though, not with Annie's release imminent.

"Look, One, I need to talk to you," Jack said a few days before, One had been admiring his wall of collected colors. Jack felt his arms fold without his control and his lips curl into a smirk.

"_Finally decided we need another soul?_" One guessed incorrectly, speak through Jack's lips, "_I'm proud of you. Who would you like to kill now? I suggest someone magical, then we'll have some magical powers to play with. We can take as much power as we want, we're stronger than mere mortals."_

"My answer's still no to that!"

"_Ah, a shame._"

"I want to talk about my sister, she's getting out of jail and coming to live with me," Jack explained, unfolding his arms and gesturing as he spoke even though it was unnecessary, he just liked having control although One raised their eyebrows in curiosity, "You may be new to being a human but you must've realized that our current behavior isn't normal, quite frankly we look like a crazy person. I can't have Annie thinking that, I don't want my family to know I merged with you or to wind up in jail for killing Bob. And I don't think you want that either so... just leave me control while we're in her prescence."

"_I don't want that either?_" One repeated and Jack nodded, suddenly finding images of a magnificent castle flooding his vision, "_Would you do me a favor? Will us to transport there, I want to show you something and I think you'd like to see Hogwarts."_

Jack wasn't sure where One was going with his line of thought but Jack's curiosity over seeing Hogwarts got the better of him, he willed himself to the wooded area with a view of the castle that One was giving him. He felt the same odd sensation of being immersed in a cold current that made him feel tingly, when he opened his eyes, he was there. Standing in that wooded area with a view of the wondrous castle that Michael resided in, Jack smiled and started walking towards it.

"_Three... Two... One, and_._.._"

Abruptly, Jack found he'd run into some kind of shield. The air flashed on contact with some invisible, magical barrier and Jack was launched violently backwards. He slammed into a tree and crashed to the ground, scowling at the air while One laughed with their mouth.

"That wasn't funny," Jack growled while One calmed, getting to their feet jointly.

"_It was to me. That's the Blood Runes at work, they keep out Shadows, those with black souls, genuine evil creatures so long as one of the two who used their blood to activate the Obelisk is within the bounds. You will be unable to enter now because of merging with me but since you can only see the castle because I... magickified_-"

"Magickified isn't a word!"

"_Magickified you so it's only fair. It's a word now, you have the ability to see things that are usually made magically invisible to muggles because of me. Of course you can't actually use wizard magic until we take the magic from someone's soul but that's not my point right now, it is a decent point though._"

"What is your point then?" Jack complained as he crossed his arms.

"_My point is that there are very few places in the world that I - thus we - can't get to, Hogwarts being protected by the Blood Rune magic is one and the rest are mostly museum type places or where artifacts are studied. A wizard named Ashylos knew about the Shadows of Dementors due to Herpo the Foul and he created magical wards to protect against them, places he set up with the protective wards or places that have inadvertently acquired one or more of these wards are the only other places we can't physically get to. There are a handful of random one-shot magical items that inadvertently shield against us too but that's all. They all have some kind of barrier much like this one that prevents us from crossing_."

"I asked for your point, not a bloody history lesson!"

"_My point,_" One continued after rolling their eyes, "_Is that those locations are the only places we can't get in or out of and there's only five people aware of this, including you. Meaning, anywhere that we'd be imprisoned for killing Bob is somewhere we could transport ourselves out of since the Ministry don't know of these wards or how to utilize them to trap us. So you're assuming I don't want to be found out and imprisoned is wrong, escape is easy so it's a meaningless threat."_

"You couldn't have just said that instead of that long-winded explanation and bringing me here?" Jack grumbled irritably, he'd have to rethink a way to get One's co-operation.

"_I could but then you wouldn't have been thrown on your ass. That did amuse me. It's fun when I'm not the one being forced to try to get past it again and again, not allowed to stop no matter how much agony I was in. Want to do it again?_"

"You are horrible person."

"_What do you really expect from a soul-destroying shadow creature that lives off pain?_"

"Let's just go home," Jack sighed unhappily and closed his eyes, focusing back on his apartment. After a minute, One must've done the same because he felt the sensation again and they were back in Oxford.

"_Don't be melancholy, Jack, I'd be more than happy to agree to help you keep your secret from your sister_," One offered brightly, "_In exchange for something I do want, of course._"

"Let me guess, another soul-murder?"

"_Aw, you knew just what I wanted."_

Jack sighed, what choice did he have? He chose Robin as the victim, an ex-boyfriend of Crystal's who had nearly killed her and Michael before, both because he didn't think One knew where Robin was - this proved to be true - meaning it would take longer to track him down to kill him and because Robin was a scumbag who clearly didn't deserve to exist. If Jack had to kill, he might as well kill people who deserved to die, right? He had to make the best of the situation to get used to it, destroying souls would be useful if - or more likely _when_ - Michael was in danger. He had to protect Michael, no matter what.

It was a bitterly cold November, One was much more interested in playing in the snow than disliking the weather however. Jack especially hated it, not only because it wasn't the nicest weather for Annie to experience after her five year incarceration but because it meant he'd have to drive on the icy roads. At least One had promised not to do anything, wanting to observe how to drive rather than trying to take over. Jack cleaned up the apartment nice one final time the night before going to pick Annie up in the car he'd rented for the occasion, Jack hated every second of the drive and kept wishing he wasn't in a car. Jack did not like cars, cars crashed and killed people. However, he thought it was both worth it and not when he saw his sister.

Prison hadn't been good to her apparently, her skin looked unhealthily pale and only emphasized the black circles of tiredness beneath her eyes. Her skin also clung to bones much tighter than the last time he'd seen her, leaving her face looking very gaunt. Her hair was the same reddish brown and tied back into a small ponytail but it looked lackluster and dirty, she was dressed in the same clothes that Jack had last seen her in except they'd faded with time. That wasn't what struck him as odd though. He'd gotten used to seeing the auras around people that showed the color of their soul - which in Annie's case, was gray - but she was different, there as a glow of pure, brilliant white light around where her heart would be. Jack rubbed his eyes and tried blinking but the light remained, even as she walked over to him and he only scowled.

"Nice to see you too," Annie quipped sarcastically and Jack realized she'd mistaken his scowling for not being glad to see her, she couldn't see the light and One was being unusually silent.

"Sorry, I was just... thinking," Jack offered lamely and smiled as he hugged her close, "It's good to see you."

"You didn't have to do this, you know," Annie pointed out as she pulled away, her expression still stoic, "You can just go back to... whatever it is you do with your life, I'll be fine. You're not obligated to do anything."

"Trying to get rid of me?" Jack joked although was secretly annoyed, were people in his life really that surprised when he took an interest in their lives?

_Yes_, One quipped, speaking into his mind again. Jack scowled again while Annie shrugged and went to open the driver's side door, Jack slapped her hand away immediately.

"Nope, I'm driving."

"But you hate driving, I miss it," Annie complained with a scowl now herself while Jack got in.

"Are you even _allowed_ to drive?" Jack wondered as she got in the passenger side door, not that he had any intention of letting her drive either way. Driving and alcohol had been what gotten her thrown in jail, he was determined she do neither to stay out of prison.

"Yes."

"Well... tough," Jack said as he headed off, Annie groaned in frustration.

"A _snail_ can move faster than you drive, we'll have died of old age before we get there. The car can go faster than twenty, you know?"

"It's icy! You wouldn't even know where we're going."

"The first place that sells alcohol is good enough for me."

"No," Jack stated firmly, "You're not drinking, it's a condition of your parole and you need to not go back to jail. If I can stay sober then you can."

"I haven't had a drink in five years!" Annie complained, the light pulsated and Jack was too focused on that to notice the trash can on the roadside explode.

_Interesting_

"Then you shouldn't want one now! How... How was prison?" Jack asked to change the subject, his sister threw him an incredulous look.

"It was prison not a summer camp. How do you think it was?"

"Well... Erm, it's not completely bad. Wasn't for me anyway. Did you make any friends?"

"You know I can never get along with women. Spent most of it in isolation anyway, it reminded me of high school," Annie pointed out and rested her head against her arm on the window, "I talked to the guards more, I think they were afraid if I didn't have any social interaction then I'd go insane and kill them all. Prison sucks, it's like high school, you can't sleep, you can't eat but you can feel your sanity slowly start to slip away from you. I need a drink to make it stop so I can be sane again."

"No, Annie!"

_We should kill her, you know?_ One said so suddenly in his mind that Jack almost swerved into a ditch.

"Geez, you said no already. No need to kill us all," Annie protested and sighed, "So how's Michael or are you still being a deadbeat Dad?"

_I don't understand your loyalty to your family, it's not like you actively take part or even care about their lives_

"I'll tell you about Michael when we get home," Jack told her, trying to calm his now frantically beating heart. He definitely didn't want to explain to his sister the skeptic about magic in a car, she needed to be sitting and he needed to not be driving.

_Your sister's a witch_

"Why?" Annie asked, her expression immediately afraid as she glanced at him. The light pulsated again and a streetlight shattered as they passed it by, "Is something wrong? Is he okay? Is he in trouble? He is alive right?"

_The light you see is her inherent magical power, when it pulses she is using magic_

"He's alive but there's a lot to say so just be patient," Jack offered to Annie, trying not to panic as he listened to One's insanity.

_Do you have a more plausible reason? Trust me, this is what it's like with all magical people. I don't think she understands it though, it seems accidental and uncontrolled. I'd even go so far to say that she wants a drink so badly in the hopes of repressing her abilities_

"Poor boy can't catch a break, runs in the family," Annie muttered sadly before gazing out the window and falling silent.

_You want to be a witch, she doesn't. Take her power. We don't have to destroy her soul, we can just take her magic... Well she'd die within half an hour but its less like murder because it's after the fact, she has a lot of mental anguish to feed off of too if you wanted to wait until after. You know you want the magic, much more than you want Annie. Kill her, Jack, kill your sister_

"Shut up, One!" Jack snapped in anger and horror at what One was suggesting.

"I wasn't even speaking," Annie pointed out in confusion.

"It's not... It's not you, it's a... anger management technique," Jack lied to cover his outburst while One laughed in amusement, "I learned it at my anger management course, you're supposed to count the number of times you say shut up. That was my first for today so I said 'one' and the less you say the better."

"That doesn't make any sense and is nothing like the anger management courses that I've been on."

"When the fuck did you ever go on an anger management course?" Jack wondered in genuine surprise, he didn't recall her ever doing that but Annie simply shrugged.

"I was a messed up kid, my social worker and foster parents and stuff were always sending me on crap like that to try make me normal."

"You never mentioned that."

"You never asked."

_Kill her_

Jack had an uncomfortable drive - even more so than the one leaving - with One still pleading for murder and power stealing, although Jack didn't believe Annie had magic or else she'd have gone to Hogwarts. Or at least not be so skeptical. Annie herself fell silent for the journey, lost in her own thoughts. Jack was relieved to get back, he showed Annie around quickly but was really desperate to get to telling her about Michael and magic. Thankfully, her nephew also seemed important to her, even more so than alcohol.

"Yeah, yeah, that's great. So what about Michael? Is he alright? You were going to tell me," Annie insisted and Jack gratefully gestured for her to sit on the couch, Jack started pacing while she did so.

"So... There's no really easy way to say this so... I'm just going to have to come out and say it," Jack told her as he cleared his throat, pausing to face her, "Magic is real and Michael's a wizard."

_And so is she_

* * *

"Good morning," a female voice cooed.

Austin Latimer jolted awake in surprise, so much so that he fell off the couch he'd been sleeping on and whacked his head painfully on the small table when he tried to sit up. He groaned as it aggravated his already hung over head, he did sit up more carefully though and was surprised to see a pair of snakeskin high heels. He scowled, if he had gotten laid then he definitely didn't remember it. In fact, he was pretty sure that he hadn't been with a woman last night, he'd been drinking alone in his crummy apartment and he'd just fallen off the couch not the bed. He raised his head and recognized that she was wearing witch's robes, his expression darkened. She definitely had not been there last night, he stayed away from witches since his wife.

"Nice place, you've got here," the witch commented in words dipped with sarcasm.

Austin scrambled to his feet immediately, feeling very underdressed to only be in dirty jeans with no shirt, socks or shoes. The woman was dressed in snakeskin robes, making her look oddly lumpy. She had blonde hair and bright red full lips but a very squashed nose, he'd never seen her before in his life. And didn't want to see her, breaking into someone's apartment was never the sign of a friendly sign.

"What do you want?" Austin demanded, his focus sharpening as he pushed aside his throbbing mind.

"To propose..."

"A deal," a second voice finished her sentence and Austin spun fearfully to see a man standing on his other side. He was dressed in dark gray robes, he had slicked back hair and papery skin. Austin also didn't recognize him, "You can't be so out of the loop that you haven't heard of the Shadow War, right?"

"What about it?" Austin muttered as he shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms in the hopes of looking less like someone who'd just rolled out of bed. Or rather a couch. He focused on a Levitation Charm, channeling it with practice into his target. His target being a discarded mirror, so he could see the woman behind him as well and keep an eye on both.

"We represent the winning side and it's come to our attention that since your expulsion, you've become pretty capable with wandless magic. So capable in fact, that our organization is willing to overlook your unfortunate blood status, in exchange for your efforts."

"No."

"It's a good deal," the woman continued and Austin turned back to her instead, "You'd be given a wand, trained in the education you missed and have your wandless abilities honed. You and your son would be exempt from any and all future risk in any of our attacks, of course. You could do well."

"No," Austin repeated.

While the offer of a wand _was_ tempting, it was still a no. He had no interest in risking his life in another war. Having to fight for his life and go on the run in the last war due to his blood status was more than enough, he had enough experience and nightmares to last him a lifetime already. He just needed to hold on until Lat came of age so they'd be in the money, then things would be okay. He certainly wasn't going to fight for a side that looked down on him for his blood status anyway, plus they'd put Lat at risk. Well, the boy had been an idiot to get involved instead of fleeing and had technically cut off his own foot but still, he would never have been in that situation if the... Soul Eating Shadows hadn't attacked. Lat was a Gryffindor, those morons _always_ acted without logically thinking through solutions but Austin had been a Ravenclaw so he didn't have that problem. He was smart. He hadn't deserved to be expelled. Fucking McGonagall.

"Not even going to think about it?"

"Nothing to think about."

"Very well," the woman shrugged and smiled, Austin readied himself, "_Avada Kedavra_."

Austin jumped out of the way and jerked his hand as he did so, the mirror was still bound by his levitating magic and flew into the place he'd been. The curse hit the mirror and bounced back, the woman barely had time to scream before she lost her life to her own spell. Austin didn't bother watch it work and in fact, had already started moving the second the curse rebounding. He gestured and the mirror shot backwards to smash the man in the head, he fell and Austin didn't wait another second. He snatched his discarded shirt from the couch and fled, slamming and locking the door behind him magically as he ran.

Austin bolted down all the flights of stairs, pulling on his shirt even though it nearly made him fall down the several flights of stairs and fishing the car keys from his pocket. He got to his car and drove away as fast as he wanted to risk driving, hung-over and barefooted wasn't the best way to drive. He saw no sign of pursuit as he drove, breaking the speed limit multiple times and using his magic to change traffic lights and wipe speed cameras to stop himself getting into trouble. Not that the muggle world had any effect on him anymore, his magic dealt with them pretty easily and his family had abandoned him long ago. He wasn't going to anything muggle-like now though, he was going to the Ministry to report his attack and demand Auror protection. He might even get a wand out of it as a compromise for them not wasting Aurors to protect him but him needing some way to defend himself from magical attackers.

This proved to be very untrue though. Not only did Aurors doubt your story when you wandered in there barefooted, in dirty clothes and with alcohol - from last night, plus he'd spilled some on his shirt which was why he'd removed it - on your breath but they didn't believe you at all when you finally stopped whining and allowed you to show them your place. The witch and wizard were gone, as was any trace of the mirror. They turned down both his demand for Auror protection and for being allowed a wand, instead having the nerve to fine _him_ for wasting Auror time. The evidence was only gone because it took them so damn long to get there, it was their fault. He was going to get killed because of their incompetence. Where was that useless boy when Austin needed him? Lat had a wand, Lat could defend him. He'd have to get Lat to come home for Christmas, maybe the Malfoy kid too because that was another wand. That sucked. But it was better than being dead. Assuming he wasn't dead before then anyway.


End file.
